Community Partnerships

Dr. Van Rheenen collaborates with many community partners in the Bay Area as part of his commitment to engaged scholarship. The three projects below demonstrate his various partnerships projects with non-profit organizations.

Project Title: Athletics-For-All

Partners: Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund, Graduate School of Education's Cultural Studies of Sport in Education (CSSE) M.A. program, Recreational Sports Department, Disabled Students Program and Office, and Bay Area non-profit group BORP (Bay Area Outreach and Recreational Program)

BORP Cal Chancellor Community Partnership Grant.jpg

Excerpt from Berekeleyside News (2014): "Athletics-For-All will allow BORP to collaborate with UC Berkeley to help the university become to first in California to offer competitive athletics programs for students and community members with disabilities. The new funds will be used to create weekly sports programs such as Goalball for the blind, Powersoccer for powerchair users, Wheelchair Basketball, and more. It will receive $20,000 over two years."

Project Title: Goalball. Similar to Soccer; designed for the visually impaired; open to all

Partners: UC Berkeley American Cultures Engaged Scholarship Program (ACES), Graduate School of Education Cultural Studies of Sport in Education (CSSE) program, Recreational Sports Department, and the Bay Area non-profit group BORP

Professor Derek Van Rheenen has partnered with the Recreational Sports Department, the Bay Area Outreach and Recreational Program (BORP), and the American Cultures Engaged Scholar Program to offer UC Berkeley students a course to learn, facilitate, and participate in Goalball. Students will learn to facilitate and participant in the game of Goalball, in addition to studying the theoretical framework by which sports and fitness opportunities impact the disability community. Students with visual impairments are encouraged to enroll. Students enrolled in EDU 75ACES, American Sports, Cultures, and Education, have priority registration. Students outside of the course may apply for unfilled seats. Depending on enrollment, limited non-course credit openings may be available for community members to participate.

Project Title: Coaching Corps

Partners: Professor Van Rheenen and the UC Berkeley Department of Education, UC Berkeley Public Service Center, American Cultures Engaged Scholarship (ACES) Program, and Coaching Corps

Coaching Corps connects UC Berkeley students to local, underserved communities as volunteer athletic coaches. The program's goal is to expand access to high quality coaching to youth who would otherwise have difficulty accessing organized sports. Cal students volunteer as coaches in sports such as soccer, basketball, and dance.