Community Service-Learning Projects and Partners Spring 2011
The Challenge Social Enterprise Initiative: A Model of Economic Independence for Hybrid Nonprofit Organizations—An overview of Challenge’s innovative plans to develop more self-sustainable funding streams while continuing their mission: to create placement opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment in Tompkins County. The first phase of a broader initiative, this project focuses on renovating Challenge’s current Work Center and expanding their food packaging division. Grant Development Student Team: Agata Kubik ’11, Culture and Communication; Andrew Lane ’12, Anthropology and Writing; Rachel Merkin ’11, Integrated Marketing Communications; Adam Polaski ’12, Journalism; James Sica ’12, Writing and English. Project Mentor: Marty Gold, Director of Program Development & Quality Assurance (Challenge). Challenge site: http://aboutchallenge.org/CI-final/
Creative Arts Outreach Course at Ithaca College: Piloting the HEARD Program at the MacCormick Center—In alliance with the IC 20/20 vision for interdisciplinary curriculum and civic engagement, this course proposal offers a collaborative professional-practice/service-learning model for upper level students to develop and implement creative arts programming for residents in correctional facilities in the region, beginning with a pilot program at the MacCormick Center, a maximum security facility for young men ages 14-20, in Brooktondale, NY. This pilot, the HEARD Program (Human Expression through Arts: a Resident Development Program), is an opportunity with widespread impact, benefiting MacCormick residents, IC students, faculty, and other potential community partners. Grant Development Student Team: Joe Bagliere ’11, TV/Radio; Amelia Baran ’11, Music Education, Flute; Toby Girard ’11, Film, Photography, and Visual Arts; Ben Johnson ’11, Art History; Rachel Messeck ’11, Writing and English. Project Mentor: Carol Whitlow, Staff Psychologist at MacCormick Secure Faciility Integrated Curriculum at Ithaca College: http://www.ithaca.edu/provost/icsquared/
Breaking Boundaries, Building Bridges: The Urban Mentorship Initiative (UMI) at Ithaca College—An overview of the enhancements to UMI, a distance mentoring program linking 8th graders from the School for the Urban Environment in Brooklyn, NY, with an interdisciplinary group of Ithaca College students. While challenging racial stereotypes, UMI’s objective is to improve higher education matriculation for minority students by enhancing communication between mentors and mentees, implementing scholarship opportunities, and providing publication venues.
Grant Development Student Team: Ryah Belford ’11, Culture and Communication; Kevin Fish ’11, Culture and Communication; Jackie Keating ’13, Sociology and Communication Management and Design; Sophia Ozenbaugh ’11, Culture and Communication; Sarah Peed ’11, Writing
Project Mentor: Belisa Gonzalez, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology/Ithaca College
UMI at IC, Program Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olm9Zrz1YJE
Fostering Community Collaboration: Creating a Finger Lakes Sustainability Center on the Ithaca Commons—An overview of plans for a Sustainability Center that will foster collaboration and communication among local sustainable enterprises, non-profit organizations, higher education institutions, and visitors, through an educational gallery space, a retail storefront, and a community-based learning liaison program. This innovative concept has broad local community support from the Tompkins County Planning Department, Sustainable Tompkins, Downtown Ithaca Alliance, Cornell University, and Ithaca College, and will serve as a best practice model for communities beyond the region. Grant Development Student Team: Laura Coleman ’11, Art History; Cat Nuwer ’12, Writing; Hana Raskin ’12, Communication Management and Design; Katie Smith ’11, Writing; Rebecca Webster ’11, Journalism & Environmental Studies
Project Mentor: Marian Brown, Special Assistant to the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Ithaca College (Member, Steering Committee/Sustainability Center)
Websites for Liaison Partners:
Sustainable Tompkins: http://sustainabletompkins.org
Downtown Ithaca Alliance: http://downtownithaca.com