Printer Friendly
Harnessing the strength and enthusiasm of 1,500 UMass students, a five-campus effort will place volunteers in a wide range of community service projects across the state.
The Corporation for National and Community Service awarded a Learn and Serve America grant for $471,000 to the five UMass campuses to support a statewide effort to increase student involvement in their communities.
Through a $83,000 subgrant, UMass Lowell students will have the opportunity to supplement their academic experience by participating in mentoring projects at local K-12 schools, pursuing alternative school breaks working in high-poverty Massachusetts communities, receiving IRS training to help local families with tax preparation, assisting in worker-education programs and incorporating service-learning into their curricula. It is expected that an additional $1.4 million in federal funding will be forthcoming over the next three years.
“We are honored to have been chosen from a pool of worthy organizations. We have big plans for the funds, and look forward to supporting civic engagement through student outreach,” says Robin Toof, assistant director of the Center for Family, Work and Community.
Competition for Learn and Serve America grants is fierce, and includes a multi-layered review process: only one in 10 proposed projects receives funding. This year, UMass won one of 36 grants awarded nationwide.
Service-learning is a growing phenomenon in higher education, as research has supported its positive effect on student learning, college retention rates and community development.
“Faculty who use service-learning discover that it brings new life to the classroom, enhances performance in traditional measures of learning, increases student interest in the subject, teaches new problem-solving skills and makes teaching more enjoyable,” said Indiana University Prof. Robert Bringle, a renowned proponent of service-learning programs, in a 1996 article for “The Journal of Higher Education.”
Learn and Serve America is a federal program that supports service-learning in schools, higher education institutions and community-based organizations across the country. For more information, go to www.nationalservice.gov.