the coalition of projects model bonner sli 2010
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Creating Service Programs that last: The Coalition of Projects Model
Bonner Summer Leadership Conference 2010Heather McNew Schill, M.Ed.
Coordinator, Student-led Service ProgramsCenter for Excellence in Learning Through Service
(CELTS)Berea College
Welcome to the sessionWho is in the room?
Please share your name, school and why you came to this session
Who am I?Coordinator of Student-led Service Programs at
Berea CollegeSupervise around 80 college students (through
the Berea College Work Study Program), which coordinate 10 community service programs and supervise approximately 200 college student volunteers using the Coalition of Project Model
The Coalition of Projects ModelI first learned of this model at the 2002 COOL Conference.
I attended a day long forum called Building It Up: A One Day institute on building and strengthening campus-based community service
programs led by John Hoang Sarvey. John was a staff member at COOL, who later went on to work as the Executive Director of City
Year.
The Model Consists of the following: 1. Umbrella organization of multiple projects2. Issue or neighborhood focused projects3. Group coordination of volunteers4. Cascading Leadership structure5. Coalition-wide support functions for the projects6. Systematic training of project leaders7. Systematic exchange of challenges and best practices among projects8. Systematic quality improvement process 9. New Project incubator10. Office space that’s student-oriented, has a “hang-out” quality
Umbrella organization of multiple projects- The Model
Cannot be just one single student organization, but instead it should be a system of several organizations
Overall program serves as an umbrella to combine resources, expertise and effective systems
Each program has its own leadership and volunteer base
Project Leaders (students) feel the primary responsibility for their project, not their staff supervisor
Project Leaders are developed from among volunteers
Umbrella organization of multiple projects-
How It Works in CELTS Each of the 10 Student-
led Programs are officially recognized as a separate club/organization
CELTS serves as the umbrella for student-led community service and academic service-learning
Student Program Coordinators are responsible for the leadership of their specific program. They are responsible for the selection and training of their volunteers
No one can become a team member in a program with out first being a volunteer
Coordinator, Student-led Service Programs
CELTS Student Director
Student Program Coordinator
Student Team Members
Volunteers
Student ProgramCoordinator
Student TeamMembers
Volunteers
Student ProgramCoordinator
Student TeamMembers
Volunteers
Issue or specific community focused project- The Model
Each project/program has a specific and unique focus: Focus could be on specific issues, a specific
community, or organizational affiliationVolunteer recruitment is made on the basis of
specific issues rather than the general concepts of volunteerism or community service
Each of the student-led programs has a different issue focus and population served. Two have affiliations with national organizationsEach program recruits its own volunteers at the annual Volunteer Extravaganza, where potential volunteers choose the specific program in which they wish to work
Issue or specific community
focused project- How it works in
CELTS
Group Coordination of Volunteers- The Model
Volunteers work in groups or teams, rather than individual placements
This encourages informal (or formal) orientation, reflection and accountability
This leads to a sense of community and support
Group Coordination
of Volunteers-
How it works in CELTS
• Each student-led program has a Student Coordinator and a team of 2 to 4 students working for them
• Student Coordinators are responsible for the orientation, reflection and accountability of their team members and volunteers
• I would hope our students feel a sense of community..
Cascading Leadership Structure- The ModelUtilizes successive sets of student leaders
who spend 3 or 4 years with the same project/program
Often students start as a volunteer, become a assistant project leader, project leader and then serve in some support or leadership role for the overall organization
This structure allows for students to develop skills and experiences to run their projects independently
Cascading Leadership Structure- How it works in
CELTS This is the exact
structure of our student-led programs Students begin
working for us as volunteers and are able to move their way up to Team Members, Program Coordinators and CELTS Student Director
Student leaders develop skills which they in turn help teach the younger students- both volunteers and team members
Volunteers
Team
Members
ProgramCoordinators
StudentDirector
Program Coordina
torsSecond
Year Team Members
First Year Team
MembersVolunteers
StudentDirector
The Training Cycle
Coalition-wide support functions for the projects- The Model
There is a coalition-wide group of student leaders who help support project leaders in areas such as recruitment, funding, training, etc.
Project Leaders know and utilize the assistance they can receive from coalition-wide leaders
Coalition-wide leaders are experienced and ideally have former project leadership experience
Coalition-wide support functions for the projects- How it
works at CELTS
In CELTS, the coalition-wide student leaders are called the Student Leadership Team
These three students represent the three areas of CELTS programming: Student-led Service Programs, Bonner Scholars and Academic Service-Learning
All three of these students have previously served as a Student Coordinator in their particular program area
Student Leadership Team
Service-Learnin
gAssocia
te(Academic Service-
Learning)
CELTS Student Directo
r(Student-led
Service Programs)
Bonner Senior Intern
(Bonner Scholars Program)
Systematic training of project leaders- The Model
Project Leaders participate in a comprehensive training program which covers all the different areas of project management, including volunteer recruitment, funding, program development, community relations, reflection, etc.
Sometimes this training is also offered as an academic course
Systematic training of project leaders-
How it works at CELTS
•In CELTS all our student leaders meet once a week for a training session. These sessions vary from specific skill development to awareness events and guest speakers•Student Coordinators also attend a separate training each week in addition to the all student meeting above•Unfortunately, none of our training programs are offered as an academic course
Skill Trainings
Personal Skills
Decision makingOrganization
Active listening
PlanningBalance/boundaries
CommunicationReflection
Time managementGoal setting
Leadership Skills
Conflict resolutionDelegationPlanning
Public speakingRunning a meeting
TeamworkUnderstanding
civic engagementUnderstanding public policyWorking with
diverse groups
Professional SkillsBudgetingEvaluation/
researchEvent planning
FundraisingGrant writing
Marketing / public relations
MediationNetworking
Public education / advocacyVolunteer
management
Systematic exchange of challenges and best practices among projects-
The ModelRegular opportunities exist for
projects to share successful practices and challenges with each other
This helps to uncover innovative and effective approaches to different issues
Systematic exchange of
challenges and best practices
among projects- how it works in
CELTS•Student Coordinators are provided with an opportunity to share both best practices and challenges at a weekly meeting we call the Core Staff meeting•Specialized training for Student Coordinators also take place at this weekly meeting
Systematic quality improvement process- The Model
Some sort of qualitative program development occurs each year, which could include annual proposals and regular progress reports
An ideal system would include an outside funding board external to the program
Systematic quality improvement process- How it works in CELTS
Student Coordinators are required to submit program updates monthly and an annual end of the year report, used to evaluate each program
Each student worker (both Team Members and Student Coordinators) in CELTS receives a formal mid-term and end of year evaluation of their work and on-going informal
Recently, a quantitative study showed that both CELTS student workers and volunteers graduated at a significantly higher rate and had a significantly higher GPA than those who did not work for CELTS or volunteer with CELTS
The student-led programs of CELTS do not have an external funding board. All funding comes from Berea College, however, our Bonner Scholars Program is endowed by The Bonner Foundation
New Project Incubator- The Model
The umbrella organization should have a clear system for adding or developing new projects which includes criteria and expectations
Coalition staff should be able to articulate the value of joining the coalition
New Project Incubator-
How it works at CELTS
•In the last few years, several new projects and programs have been added to the student-led programs to address the needs of the community
•We are often approached by people wanting to start new programs and projects; however, it takes a lot of time and consideration before a program “officially” joins CELTS
Student Office space with a “hang out” quality- The Model
Office space should provide a sense of community and home base on campus
Students should be drawn to come back between classes and other activities
Informal conversations will help students strengthen the community
Each program should have its own identifiable space in the office, which includes a phone and an actual desk
Student Office space with
a “hang out” quality- How it works at CELTS•Each of our student-led programs has its own identifiable office space with a desk and phone. Each program is allowed to decorate their space in any way they choose
•Students are always in their office space, where informal conversations often lead to program collaborations
Want to learn more?
Check out the CELTS web page: www.berea.edu/celts
Give me a call or send me an email
Come visit us in Berea
Thanks for coming!Heather McNew Schill
CPO 2170Berea College
Berea, KY 40404(859) 985-3804
Heather_Schill@berea.edu
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