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 Extension
System Engaging Communities Through SPACE
Students teaching students to make a difference
Normal, AL, April
20, 2004---More
than 700 high school and post secondary students will be recognized
April 26 for their many hours of volunteer service at the 12th
Annual Service-Learning Awards Program at Alabama A&M University.
The event honors
students participating in the Students Promoting Action/Community
Education (SPACE) program, which is managed by the Alabama Cooperative
Extension System Children Youth and Family Specialist Mary Hurt.
All
service-learning activities at Alabama A&M fall under the umbrella of
SPACE, an outreach program that recruits student volunteers from
various educational disciplines at senior high and post-secondary
schools.
SPACE students
volunteer their time and serve as mentors, tutors and role models.
They also help improve the quality of life for communities at large in
Alabama, “ Hurt said.
Extension’s SPACE
program has formed partnerships and networking bases with more than 60
community-based organizations including public schools, youth
development centers, hospitals, churches, health and dental care
facilities, and other community-based organizations. Since its
inception in 1991 more than 1,773 student volunteers have received
training and generated at least 17,796 volunteer hours and more than
51,895 client contacts throughout northern and central Alabama.
Service learning
is a growing phenomenon in the United States. In the last 20 years,
millions of students have participated in service-learning projects
that benefit their communities in which they live. This trend
demonstrates the idea that educational institutions have a
responsibility to render service to communities, bring about positive
changes and improve the quality of life for all Americans.
“The
Service-Learning Network provides an opportunity for educational
institutions, students, and organizations to engage in mutually
beneficial partnerships. The overall result is stronger communities
and ultimately, a stronger nation, where learning becomes a lifelong
experience,” said Dr. Virginia Caples, provost and vice president for
academic affairs at Alabama A&M.
The award program
will be held at 6 p.m. at Alabama A&M’s Ernest Knight Center. Alabama
State Senator Jeff Enfinger, who contributed $2,500 to SPACE last
year, is the keynote speaker.
SPACE has received assistance from many individuals including site
manager Eunice Tibbs; Extension specialists Edna Coleman and Rosalie
Lane; Madison County Ccommissioner Dr. Prince Preyer, Jr.;
Earnest Starks, director of the Coalition on At-Risk Minority Males;
and Vista worker Krystal Gueary in Huntsville; and from AAMU faculty
and staff such as Dr. Karen Foster, Dr. Jerome Roberts, Dr. Olivia
Sanders, Dr. Oscar Montgomery, Dr. Jerry Shipman, Dr. Mattie Thomas,
Ollye Conley, Mary Morris-Billings, Betty Thompson, Joseph Lee, and
Dr. James Shuford.
For more information about the Service-Learning Network, please
contact Extension Specialist
Mary W. Hurt at (256) 372-4981.
SOURCE; Mary W. Hurt, Children, Youth and Family Specialist,
Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (256) 372-4981
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