Student Volunteer Fellowship Program
Bates College
Promising Approaches
(4) Encourage and support activities and student and community organizations that provide opportunities for students to be engaged in their campuses and communities.
(5) Encourage student participation in leadership and campus and community governance.
(8) Involve students in the development and sustaining of campus/community partnerships.
Overview
The Student Volunteer Fellow Program is now in its fourth year at Bates College. The goals of the program are twofold: to
engage a larger and more diverse group of students in meaningful volunteer
activities; and to develop student leadership abilities. The students each have their own areas of
responsibility, (children's programming, one-time events, working with teams
and student groups, and development and communication) but they work together
to facilitate volunteer opportunities.They handle all calls from the community, gather information about
specific requests, and formulate a plan to meet the needs. They then recruit students to
participate. The Fellows are required to
spend time each week in the Volunteer Office, to meet weekly with each other
and monthly with the Volunteer Office Coordinator, and to maintain records of
their work. In addition, they manage a
fund that provides money for expenses related to volunteer activities. They review applications and track the use of
funds. These students come to us with a
background in volunteer work and a concern for others and this program strengthens
those commitments while enhancing the students' leadership skills and
broadening their understanding of community needs.
Special Features
Civic Learning Goals
- Civic Knowledge: Identify and describe the community in
which they live; identify, define,
and describe local problems and their connections to problems on the state and
national levels; discuss
and explore the variety of ways an individual can help solve societal problems
- Civic Skills: Apply
information to effective efforts to help solve social problems; work cooperatively with others and develop
effective team building practices; effectively
advocate individual and shared interests; organize
people to address social issues
- Civic Attitudes/Dispositions: Develop
a sense of personal efficacy; an affective or
emotional attachment to the community or polity i.e. a feeling that one
matters, has a voice and a stake in public affairs, and therefore wants to be a
contributing member of the community; concern
for the greater good; concerned
for the rights and welfare of others
Contact Information
Bates College Center for Service-Learning
207-786-8273
http://www.bates.edu/service-learning/xml
