A “”promising practice”" we would like to highlight is our “”Geneva Heroes Youth Service Corps,”" which addresses the area of students, campus/community partnerships and community improvement. Begun five years ago, this student initiated and organized program brings together college students and local 8th graders to learn leadership and team-building skills through the performance of public service projects. HWS students recruit the middle school students and plan out various Saturday projects throughout the community. The program lasts 8 to 10 weeks and the first session is spent in Project Adventure-type team-building activities. All of the students take part in the service, learning about the different organizations where it is being performed while doing so. This past year saw the students working in the local food pantry, at an agency that serves individuals with cognitive impairments, the local Boys and Girls Club, and restoring the headstones in one of Geneva s historic cemeteries among other activities. President Gearan even worked with the group raking leaves at the home of elderly citizens. Some of the original middle school students have continued to come back to assist and have stated that the program gave them more confidence in their abilities and encouraged them to attend college. This is only one of several programs where HWS students interact with the community s youth. A student-run middle school mentoring program, America Reads, service-learning opportunities at Head Start and the Boys and Girls Club, as well as an active teacher education program bring our students into the community where they can have a significant impact.
Contact person: Averell Bauder, Director of Public Service Office, bauder {at} hws(.)edu
