From protecting the environment to working with young children, 14 sophomores in the Social Entrepreneurship Scholars Program this semester are learning the challenges – and joys – of organizing programs for local agencies. And they hope to share their lessons with the next cohort of scholars selected from applications now being accepted.
In their junior and senior years, students work with younger participants as mentors and consultants, which is one way that community initiatives undertaken by each class will continue into the future.
“For the community, we are providing students’ time, energy and resources to thoughtfully consider their needs and implement new ideas that will have durability,” said Angela Lewellyn Jones, an associate professor of sociology and academic coordinator for the Social Entrepreneurship Scholars Program. “For the students, the value is in skills-building and learning a new way of thinking.”
Mary Morrison with the Kernodle Center for Service Learning is the co-curricular coordinator.
The first semester of the three-year program is spent learning broadly about social issues and problems facing communities across the United States, and considering innovative ways that social entrepreneurs have worked to impact social change, make community improvements, and work with local nonprofits and agencies to accomplish a project.
The current cohort of social entrepreneurship scholars is divided into four teams working to address issues related to the environment and children in our local community. Each team has received about $500 to complete a short-term social entrepreneurship project with their community partner this semester.
What are they doing this fall?
Head Start
In Jones’ fall 2008 course, SOC273: Social Issues & Problems in the Local Community, one team – Ben Donnelly, Brittany Dewey and Kimberly David – wants to purchase a collection of multicultural books for a local Head Start program. If possible, those books would be written in English and Spanish, for students to learn both languages.
“We’re definitely trying to bridge the language barrier,” David said. “And if we’re lucky, maybe they’ll be able to take books home to share with their families.”
A second team – Megan McGowan, Ashley Kelly, Kayla Hicken and Alex Moss – is also buying supplies for a second Head Start location, but the focus there is on a field day program that staff members typically fund.
“Head Start has gone through a series of budget cuts, so we’re trying to help them out financially,” said Moss, a communications science major from Raleigh, N.C. “The field day would otherwise be paid for by the teachers. We want to help them out.”
Elon Sustainability (with Elaine Durr, sustainability coordinator at the university)
The third team – Caitlyn Muskat-Thomas, Samantha Merckens, Molly Heffernan and Scott Swedberg – joined with Elon’s sustainability coordinator to gauge what messages are effective for relaying information and advice for living a greener lifestyle.
“We’re trying to figure out what Elon students do care about when it comes to sustainability, then provide them with information,” said Swedberg, a business major from Danvers, Mass.
Haw River Trail
The fourth team – Courtney Graham, Dan Shulman and Sylvia Ohanyan – partnered with Brian Baker, the Upper Haw River Project Coordinator at the university – to plan a meet-and-greet for the dozens of local residents who have expressed interest in volunteering to preserve and maintain the trail.
“It’s meant to get everyone up to speed on what’s going on with the Haw River Trail,” said Graham, an exercise sports science major from Wyckoff, N.J.
The semester projects are a preview of what lies ahead for the class. In the coming years, the groups will merge efforts into an “education” project and an “environment” project, with the goal of creating a sustainable project that can continue on long after the first scholars graduate in 2011.
That’s the whole idea.
“They are learning to listen to their community partners and think about making a long-term impact for improvement in their communities,” Jones said, “rather than the hit-and-run style of service that is more common.”
Current freshmen with an interest in service learning are encouraged to apply for the SES program. Applications are now available online by clicking the link to the right and are due by March 20. An interest meeting for students who may be considering the program is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. in Ward Octagon.
Students with questions about the program should contact either professor Angela Lewellyn Jones (ajones5@elon.edu) or Mary Morrison in the Kernodle Center for Service Learning (mmorrison4@elon.edu).