Campus Compact » Program Models Service By Population – Children, Youth, And Families

Jumpstart

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Jumpstart is a Boston-based program that pairs federal Work-Study college students with children in Head Start and other programs serving low-income preschoolers. The volunteers work one-on-one with the children in their daily school activities.

The programs was founded by Aaron Lieberman in 1993 when he was a Yale University student. It now operates in 11 cities including New York, L.A. and Washington. The program, which serves more than 1,500 children this school year, has a $7 million annual budget that comes mostly from private funding and some government grants.

As Jumpstart’s CEO, Mr. Lieberman is shifting the growth of the program into high gear. He plans to form partnerhsips with more than 50 colleges and universities over the next five years– and, if that goal is met, he expects the number of children served each year to increase to 15,000. Jumpstart began setting up college partnerships in 1997 and now has seven universities involved.

Website: www.jstart.org

Excerpted from “”College Students Help Jump-Start Preschooler’s Learning”" by Linda Jacobson, Education Week December 13, 2000

Decatur’s Promise

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Calhoun Community College is fulfilling the Five Promises of America’s Promise through the folowing commitments:

Providing caring adults, safe places, structured activities and marketable skills to more than 600 youth through the College Americorps Program and the America Reads Initiative

Completing basic health screenings for more than 300 Head Start students by College nursing and allied health students

Volunteering by college leadership organizations with at least half of their active members involved in volunteer service project, primarily serving younger youth

Office for the Community Agenda: a model of campus support for community engagement

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One of the clearest signs that an idea is valued on campus is that it has its own office. Just a few years ago, campuses with designated offices for community service were the exception. Today, they are the rule, with the vast majority of Campus Compact member institutions reporting that they have a centralized office for community service-learning on campus. Some of these centers focus on providing support to student service projects. Others provide support to faculty service-learning efforts. Still others focus on their relationship with the community.

The Office for the Community Agenda based at the Maricopa Community Colleges District puts a whole new twist on these models. Part community collaborator, part education reformer, part campus innovator the Office for the Community Agenda offers a distinctive example of campus support for community engagement.

The Office for the Community Agenda was founded in the spring of 1996 to directly advise Maricopa Chancellor Paul Elsner. Central to its founding mission was the support and initiation of community collaborations at the various community colleges overseen by Maricopa. Unlike most centers, however, the Office for the Community Agenda doesn t focus on maintaining programs. Instead, it works to generate new ideas and develop new collaborations which, once off the ground, can be sustained by other offices in the Maricopa District.

The office is regularly initiating studies and discussions with community groups to explore potential partnerships for the Maricopa campuses. In one case, through discussions with the mayor and city council of Phoenix and the Arizona Film Institute, the office initiated the construction of a multimedia/video production center. In another case, a study center was formed through a consortium of the Maricopa Community Colleges, the city of Phoenix, and the city s Fire Fighters Association to examine ways that Phoenix neighborhoods can be made or remain livable and viable. Another effort generated by the office focuses on ways to address the needs of Native American tribes in the Phoenix area.

A second aspect of the office s work is as education reformer. The office treats community engagement as an integral part of larger changes in education. Much of its initial work has focused on providing better educational service to urban and minority populations of youth and adults. This includes change both on and off campus. Off campus, the college has begun work with the community on projects such as an NFL Youth Education Training Center and the development of a proposed Urban Survival Program, both to be made available for all elementary and middle schools in Maricopa County. On campus, its work includes the creation of learning centers, and exploration of ideas like a College Without Cost, which uses volunteers and existing structures to deliver higher education at little or no cost.

The third role of the Office for the Community Agenda is as campus innovator. All of the work and ideas generated by the office are framed by its resolve to take a proactive and forward-thinking approach to education and community engagement. The Office for the Community Agenda bills itself, above all, as a medium for innovation to prepare to face and incorporate the paradigm shifts of the 21st century, planning change rather than accepting it, experimenting rather than waiting. Within this office, change on campus and in the community come together around an innovative attitude towards education.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Website: Office for the Community Agenda http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/comm/

The Junior Achievement curriculum: consultants in the classroom from the entire campus community

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As an all campus project GateWay Community College faculty, administrators, and professional support staffers teamed GWCC service-learning students to deliver the Junior Achievement curriculum to all K-8 students (24 classes) at our neighboring Crockett Elementary School. This is a first for Arizona where a community college has provided a consultant for every classroom at an elementary school.

This is an example of a true community partnership. In Fall 1999, outgoing President Randolph asked the college to identify a project that would involve our “”GateWay Family”" (our entire campus community). About that time, we received a call from the principal of our neighboring elementary school asking us to consider becoming community consultants to deliver the Junior Achievement curriculum to all classrooms at her school. Junior Achievement s mission of teaching children to value themselves, others, their education, and the American free enterprise system aligned perfectly with the the goals of our service-learning program. A representative from Junior Achievement met with our Service-learning Committee, a interdisciplinary group charged with overseeing service-learning activities on our campus and making related recommendations to the administration, to explain the program. The committee embraced the project and recommended to President Randolph that this would be our all campus spring project.

In January, President Randolph was reassigned to the MCCD District office as Acting Vice-Chancellor for Quality and Employee Development. Acting President Gaudet made the suggestion that we form teams of GWCC personnel and service-learning students. The call went out from President Gaudet and volunteers from all divisions came forward. While all volunteers saw the project as a way to fill an unmet need for an inner city school, faculty viewed it as an opportunity to partner with their students, students saw the project as a way to interact more informally with campus personnel and administrators had an opportunity to interact more with students. In less than two weeks, all 24 classes were assigned. President Gaudet volunteered to be consultant to an 8th grade class. (As an extension activity, he and the nursing faculty member who was the consultant to the other grade class, sponsored Career Awareness visit to the campus for the 8th grade students and their parents. Thirty-five participants spent three hours at the campus completing computer based career assessments and touring the campus.)

A core team with faculty representation from each instructional division and the Director of Community Partnership Programs participated in a training workshop with the teachers from the elementary school and went through a Junior Achievement provided train-the-consultant workshop. Team members in turn provided training to campus volunteers. During the next three months, teams made 6-8 visits to their assigned classrooms to deliver the citizenship lessons. The evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive and about 75% of the consultants have asked to participate next year.

Our campus has decided to continue the project. Ideally, children who spend their K-8 years at Crockett Elementary will have nine years of citizenship and stay in school messages. We also see it as an opportunity to informally mentor our future civic leaders and our future GateWay students. We are certain that there will be additional related service-learning opportunities at the school.

Website: www.gwc.maricopa.edu/partnerships

High school conflict resolution: Students Talk About Race (STAR) and an American Social Values course

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Students who enroll in a course on American Social Values at Glendale Community College take their learning from college and translate it into learning in local high schools. Students receive training as facilitators in conflict resolution as part of the course. Those who complete training are placed in area schools by a local program called Students Talk About Race (STAR), which formed in response to the Los Angeles riots of 1992. The college students facilitate dialogue among high school students on the subjects of race, ethnicity, and gangs.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Introductory Accounting course with extra credit option for tutoring

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Students enrolled in Introductory Accounting at California State University, Chico, quickly learn that good business is about more than just good business skills. Professor Curtis DeBerg focuses on developing students leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, and uses service-learning to do the job. Students are given the extra credit option of spending one to two hours a week teaching business and computer literacy skills to at-risk youth. In this way, the course shows students the potential for business to have a meaningful impact on people s lives, at the same time as it teaches human skills often overlooked in business disciplines.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Contact: bund {at} csuchico(.)edu"">bund {at} csuchico(.)edu
Phone: 530.898-4480

Research and empowerment: faculty help parents design a survey

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When parents of children at three elementary schools in San Jose, California, wanted to improve education for their children, faculty from San Jose State University helped them to create their own research effort. The faculty helped them to design and administer a telephone survey to examine the accessibility and helpfulness of elementary school teachers. The parents then took charge conducting the survey in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese in order to include all the language groups in the area. After studying the results, they were able to identify the key obstacles to parent-teacher communication and use these to suggest changes.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

The Preuss School

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The University of California at San Diego doesn’t just help a local school, it owns one. The Preuss School, on the UCSD campus, is the nation’s first charter school created by a university and dedicated to serving poor minority students. Preuss has access to the resources of UCSD, such as its supercomputers and it’s students, who volunteer to tutor at Preuss.

The impetus for Preuss came in the wake of California’s 1998 ban on affirmative action, which caused UCSD’s minority enrollment to drop a quarter. The university looked to recruit minority students through the traditional methods–faculty visits, fancy websites and brochures–but had little faith that these efforts would yield much. So UCSD started from scratch, donating land worth $8 million and securing $13 million in private donations to build Preuss and prepare its prospective minority students. The state and local school district agreed to pay faculty salaries and operating expenses. The school opened in fall 1999 with 150 students, out of 500 who applied, all of whom are poor enough to qualify for subsidized lunches. BY 2004, Preuss will serve 700 students in grades six through twelve.

Website: http://preuss.ucsd.edu/
Excerpted from Time Magazine’s “”Build It Yourself”", by Andrew Goldstein and reported by Jacqueline Savaiano. January 8, 2001

Tutoring and mentoring programs through the Arlanza/La Sierra Community Collaborative

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While the Arlanza/La Sierra Community Collaborative (ALSCC) functions to enhance education for the youth within the community, it also models La Sierra University s role in creating good community through community service. The Collaborative seeks to reach its mission through two programs: the Tutoring Program and the Mentoring Program. These programs provide twofold benefits for every participant those rendering service and those receiving services. A description of the aim of each program will illustrate their effectiveness as a practice for good citizenship.

The Tutoring Program utilizes the volunteer services of the University s student body to act as Reading and Math tutors for K-6 grade pupils in the Alvord Unified School District. While realizing the nation s need for quality teachers, the Tutoring Program provides an opportunity for University students to explore teaching as a career goal. As a result of the tutoring experience, several tutors express a new or increased desire to enter the teaching profession. They also state benefits of acquiring effective teaching skills, gaining leadership confidence and making a difference in the lives of others. While disadvantaged students receive this additional learning opportunity, they also gain self-esteem, enthusiasm for learning, hope for a better future and a positive perception of La Sierra University.

The Mentoring Program is providing an equally beneficial experience for its participants. This program places high school students in a one-to-one mentoring relationship working with a University professor. This employment opportunity allows them to explore their interests in a chosen career field. The mentoring experience teaches them how to operate in a professional work environment. In addition to learning new skills, these students testify about other benefits increased self-esteem, motivation toward higher education and a positive perception of the La Sierra University s educational experience. The University professors make these benefits a reality through their dedicated volunteer service. While the professors appreciate the assistance they receive from these students, they welcome the chance to make a difference in the lives of our youth.

The Tutoring and Mentoring programs twofold ability to benefit every participant makes the Arlanza/La Sierra Community Collaborative a perfect example of “”best practices.”"

Adams State College Science and History Fair

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Each year the Math and Science departments host a science fair for middle and high school students. Following the Math fair is the History Day, which is sponsored by the History, Government, and Political Science departments. These events draw an average of 600 students from around the Valley.

Contact: Ericha Loosbrock at .ealoosbr {at} adams(.)edu or 719.587.7400

Aprender Mediante Amistad (Learning Through Friendship): helping families new to the United States

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

In Aprender Mediante Amistad (Learning Through Friendship), a program at Colorado College, students tutor and build friendships with families new to the United States. Two evenings a week, the group of college students meets with adult immigrants and their children to tutor them one-on-one in reading, math, and computer skills. Following the tutoring sessions, the group as a whole meets to play games in Spanish and English designed to build self-esteem and confidence. On Friday evenings, students meet with the families for a weekly movie night. Taken together, these activities serve to educate both the college students and their students about one another s culture.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Website: www2.coloradocollege.edu/Students/Pathfinder/Opportunities/OtherOrganizations.html

Community Research Services

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Service Learning opportunities are growing steadily at the University of Southern Colorado. Because this program is housed within the Community Research Services office, we are able to develop interlinked projects and placements for students in varied disciplines from social work and psychology to mass communications. A Child Care Parent Survey was completed in December. The information will assist with improving the quality of childcare in our regions. In May USC will again conduct the statewide Children s Summit, which will focus on bringing together community members, parents, and providers.

Currently, students are designing a web site to be the information broker for the community (Community Research Services web page). The CRS is the communication link between USC faculty, students, and the community to provide cost effective research assistance. “”Adopt-An-Agency”" is underway to assist local non-profit agencies in their program development with on-site consultants. Presently, a report about Pueblo s Community s Health (Community Indicators Project [CIP]). The CIP presents information on two dozen key indicators that capture various scenes reflecting important dimensions on community life.

Contact person: Robert Muniz, muniz {at} uscolo(.)edu

CRS web site: http://www.uscolo.edu/crs/

Developing alternative schools

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As school districts realize that they cannot give up on their failing students, new alternatives are being offered to help these youth succeed. In Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado is part of a team of community organizations and schools offering a new program specifically designed for students who have been expelled or adjudicated in the county. The program, which will serve 400 to 500 such youth, includes a number of educational recreational activities, lessons taught by various community organizations, mentoring relationships with college students, and an alternative middle school and high school in which students engage in hands-on lessons and are encouraged to pace their own learning.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Exceeding goals: AmeriCorps program provides needed services to at-risk youth and their parents

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Our local AmeriCorps program is one of the first programs to start up in the country. We have received funding to sponsor 20 to 25 AmeriCorps members for each eleven-month term. At the end of their term of service AmeriCorps members receive $4,725 towards their higher education goals. It is a win-win opportunity all the way around.

Our members serve in rural mountain communities of the Colorado Rockies, covering a several hundred-mile region of the College district. Our mission for 1999 was to increase self-reliance by developing program members and by identifying and providing needed services to at-risk youth and their parents in a collaborative and responsive environment with human service agencies from both Garfield and Lake Counties.”"

As of 1999, eleven full-time and five part-time members successfully graduated from this AmeriCorps program. The three members serving in schools surpassed the program goal for involvement with youth by 25%; we exceeded our goals for new contacts with youth by nearly 160%. 90% of the targeted youths’ school grades increased by our goal of one grade level in math, science, and social studies. 80% of targeted youth raised their grade one level in English and reading. Most of these youth were “”English as a second language”" students. (Spanish is their first language.) Surveys completed by local teachers showed a 100% satisfaction regarding the performance and involvement of AmeriCorps members.

In social service agencies, AmeriCorps members more than doubled their expected number of service hours in group contacts, spending time in 2,950 group contact projects. Members in social service agencies served nearly 3,100 individuals.

In our first quarter for 1999 We had eighteen full-time members newly enrolled in an eleven-month commitment to service in our communities.

Nine members were serving in schools. We have already achieved 89% of our goal regarding student contacts and over double our goal for group tutoring. In youth centers, new members collaborated between communities to schedule events that involve kids from various areas, representing a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic diversity. In social service agencies, surveys show a decrease in dangerous behaviors.

Anecdotal stories from our CMC AmeriCorps members past & present

“”A family the Department of Human Services has been working with since May of ’98 has been unable to keep their home “”fit”" without support for years. Whenever I’ve worked with this family (approximately twice a week for two hours each session) the house would get cleaned up appropriately, but they never maintained their home between visits. Just last Friday, I arrived at their home and found it in perfect condition. The mom had found herself quite a bit of inner strength and decided to take charge of her household and four children. It was one of the best moments I’ve experienced this year!”"

“”I work with a kid that has emotional problems, and possibly suffers from ADD. He does not do well in class and is constantly being taken out of class for inappropriate behavior. He was not finishing his work on time. I was told that if he did not have every one of his drafts and an outline of an essay done in a week, he would not be allowed to turn it in and therefore would receive a failing grade. He worked with me for two days during his English class. On the first day he finished his outline. On the second day he finished a five-paragraph essay. He was so proud of himself that he typed his final draft that night. His essay was so good that it is displayed in the hall with some of the other children’s outstanding essays.”"

“”A youngster who seldom attended the recreation center is now showing up on a regular basis. This youngster suffers from Leukemia and must undergo treatments once a month. He said to me, ‘I’m feeling much better but the other kids still tease me about my hair loss’. I told him, ‘Hair will come and go, but your true friends, like me, don’t notice if you have hair or not’. He looked at me and said, ‘That means a lot, coming from a Bald Guy!’”"

Contact Contact person: Scott Dziura , Americorps Field Coordinator,
http://www.coloradomtn.edu/americorps

Juvenile offenders help on a domestic solar water heating system project

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

A project at Colorado State University served a variety of audiences providing services for low-income families, and enlisting the help of juvenile offenders who gained a sense of usefulness and self-esteem by helping to provide a service for others. Julie Sieving, a mechanical engineering student designed a domestic solar water heating system which could be easily manufactured and sold for a low price to low-income families. The second side of the service effort arose when it came time to manufacture the water heaters. Youth in the juvenile branch of Larimer County Community Corrections built and assembled the heaters, taking pride in the fact that their work would benefit others in the community.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Contact: Dr. Wade O. Troxel at 970.491.6618 or wade {at} longs.lance.colostate(.)edu

Engagement with a Boys & Girls Club located on campus

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Trinity College believes that its liberal arts curriculum and urban location are a powerful combination and provide the basis for distinctive learning opportunities that challenge and inspire students to become critical thinkers and active, engaged citizens.

A fine example of the opportunities that exist is the Boys & Girls Club at Trinity College. The Club is the first Boys & Girls Club in the country to be located on a college campus, and Trinity students fill all of its volunteer positions. Trinity students also are involved in the Club through internships, service-learning, and research. They serve the needs of more than 300 inner-city, low-income children who have enrolled in the Club since its opening in February. In true community spirit, the Club s construction was financed with gifts from Hartford-area corporations, foundations and individuals, including Trinity College trustees. The Club also was the first new building to be constructed as part of a neighborhood renewal effort spearheaded by Trinity College that calls for three new schools, a family resource center, new home ownership opportunities, job training, support for existing retail establishments, and new business assistance.

Retired General Colin Powell, now chairman of America s Promise: The Alliance for Youth, participated in the dedication of the Club and designated Trinity as the nation s first “”College of Promise.”" He said that Trinity s “”commitment to improving the quality of life in Hartford and to helping the city s young people dream and believe they, too, might someday attend college and live the American dream is exemplary. What are the other hundreds of colleges and universities throughout the country doing on behalf of at-risk youth? Why can t they all be Colleges and Universities of Promise?”"

The Club s activities are focused on education and the development of social skills, using Trinity students as teachers, role models and mentors. The activities include daily homework sessions; recreation that fosters team-spirit; positive competition and social skills; arts and crafts; a computer club that uses academic-oriented software; a newsletter; a percussion workshop; and a Saturday basketball league. The newest addition is a wilderness club that involves students and staff in educational trips and outings to foster positive relationships, an awareness of nature and the environment, self-awareness, character-building and self-esteem.

This program offers Trinity students an opportunity to use their skills and their athletic, intellectual, artistic and teaching/tutoring talents for the benefit of a community in need. Students engaged at the Boys & Girls Club become increasingly civic-minded; they become more aware of the real issues and problems of inner-cities. Although it happens outside the classroom, this represents true and invaluable learning, and it stimulates intellectual inquiry, civic action and leadership. This process helps mold Trinity students into responsible, involved, caring, and effective leaders of the future. It builds citizens who are more concerned about solving social problems than just studying and talking about them.

Contact person: Angel Huertas, Unit Director, Boys & Girls Club at Trinity College, yankee {at} hotmail(.)com
Web site: http://www.learningcorridor.org/bgc.htm

Trinity College Community Child Center

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Parents in Hartford, Connecticut, who are looking for day care services for their children can find them on the campus of Trinity College. The Trinity College Community Child Center is a nonprofit day care center open to faculty, staff, and students and to parents in the surrounding community. Operated out of the college s Life Sciences building and a Trinity dormitory, it is staffed largely by work-study students. The center emphasizes diversity in its clientele and offers scholarships to parents who cannot afford the fee. By opening campus space to serve community residents, Trinity blurs the distinction between college and community, highlighting instead that the campus is an integral and active part of the community.

From Service Matters 1998: Engaging Higher Education In the Renewal of America s Communities and American Democracy

Contact: Ann St. Laurant, Director, 860-297-5291 or via email at ann.stlaurant {at} trincoll(.)edu
web page: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/ocir/program/neighborhood_revitalization.htm

“”Beyond El Gran Capoquero”": high school students learn Spanish skills via Drama while providing community service to K-2 Spanish students

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

“”Beyond El Gran Capoquero”" (The Great Kapok Tree) extends SAIL’s 1997-98 interdisciplinary project whereby high school students acquire conversational Spanish skills via Drama while providing community service to K-2 Spanish students. That project’s success, our desire to capitalize on the strong oral presentation/drama skills of SAIL students and the support of our school improvement plan (expansion of hands-on, applied experiential learning and a greater emphasis on community service for our students) encouraged us to continue.

First semester included joint lesson planning, student training in Spanish, Drama, and Early Childhood Education teaching techniques, and development of student-produced curriculum implementation activities. SAIL students met with Ruediger second-grade students four times (informal “”icebreakers”", discussion of rainforest animals and habitats, and painting murals used as scenery for the first-grade students’ second-semester performance). Second semester included SAIL students meeting ten times with the first-graders, teaching Spanish dialogue, drama and movement techniques, mask making, and performance preparation. There were four performances: one, early in the project, with SAIL students showing the Ruediger students “”how it’s done”"; one, near the end, with all the students, for Ruediger parents and students; and two joint-cast productions, one for the “”Celebrate the Arts Festival”" at Gretchen Everhart School for Exceptional Students and one opportunity to entertain and exchange ideas with visitors from the Ecuadorian rainforest.

SAIL students provided approximately 700 hours of community service (including travel and preparation) and helped develop replicable curriculum materials. All students stayed enrolled in the program and took seriously their responsibilities as teachers and role models. There is positive anecdotal feedback from Everhart, Ruedigerand SAIL staff and plans to continue the Spanish/Drama curriculum and Ruediger/SAIL relationship. We may also pursue ways to replicate and use this Learn and Serve project as a model to implement the Sunshine State Standards for Foreign Language instruction for high school and elementary students and for using authentic assessment for evaluation.

Partnership with other colleges and the Miami-Dade public school system for the America Reads Challenge

tdomf_26a6d — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The College s Center for Community Involvement plays a key leadership role in the county-wide response to the Department of Education s America Reads Challenge. What makes this such a unique partnership that fosters civic responsibility and civic literacy is the following:

The partnership involves the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the University of Miami, Barry University, Florida Memorial University, Florida International University and Miami-Dade Community College. This partnership of K-12 public schools along with private and public higher education institutions is unique in the country. Under the leadership of M-DCC these institutions jointly provide nearly 175 federal work study students to serve as one-on-one tutors at 34 elementary schools and six after-school programs. Together, the tutors provide individual assistance to nearly 2,000 first-grade students every week, and this requires significant energy and resources to assure that FWS students receive appropriate training and support. Also, the coordination of the placement of these student-tutors is a positive example of dedication to collaborative use of institutional resources to maximize the benefits for the community.

The partnership also includes a comprehensive training program for the tutors that addresses the development of essential tutoring skills as well as specific sessions to emphasize civic responsibility and the importance of individual commitment to community good. These training and support activities occur on an continuous basis throughout the semester.

An additional feature of the partnership is a separate series of training events for teachers, teachers aides and others who desire to help children learn to read better. This is a jointly developed training program called “”Buddy Reading”" and it provides basic skills for individual volunteers. It also serves as a means to involve volunteers from the community at-large as well as from within each of the partner-institutions.

Finally, this partnership provides a way for us to introduce our students to the importance of corporate citizenship responsibilities. In other words, we model for them how the different sectors of a community must work together for the strength of the community; that through the combined efforts of our different colleges, we can do far more than any one individual school in assisting our community. We believe that it is essential our students understand that higher education has a common commitment to enhance the learning of children in the K-12 system.

Joshua Young, College-Wide Director, Center for Community Involvement, jyoung {at} mdcc(.)edu

CCI web site: www.mdcc.edu/cci/

Piloting the Project Citizen Mentor Initiative

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The Center for Civic Education selected M-DCC to help develop and pilot their Project Citizen Mentor initiative. This entailed training middle school and M-DCC teachers in the Project Citizen curriculum; recruiting and training 20 M-DCC students as mentors for the middle school students; hosting a Mayoral Exchange that brought 12 mayors, 200 middle school students, and M-DCC student mentors to the College to share their public policy work.

Website: http://www.mdcc.edu/cci/images/Project%20Citizen.pdf