Last night I spoke to Sam Harmer's Boise State University Public Relations class. There were probably 35 or 40 students there, so it was definitely the largest group I people I have yet spoken to.
I spoke to them because their class is involved in Service Learning at BSU. This is a really cool program, so I want to make a plug for them here. It's a program where classes get involved with non-profit organizations. As far as I know, there are classes in every department that are involved. From what I know, some students get to individually choose which non-profit they would like to work with, while some projects are picked by an entire class. Students get credit for volunteer hours, and it's a win-win for everyone involved. Students get to do something cool and worthwhile that counts towards their degree, and the non-profits get help that they really need from individuals who are excited to do it.
I was invited to speak at the Public Relations class last night. My hope is to get help with marketing in general and marketing with the Homegrown Hootenanny specifically. We're all doing something awesome. So if someone else gets picked, there's no way I'd be disappointed! It means SOMEone out there is getting help they need, and for all I know, they may need it more than Idaho Community Gardens does.
At any rate, I should hear back pretty soon whether I was chosen or not. No matter what happens, Service Learning is a great thing. If I had known it existed in my undergrad (I'm sure it does at University of Wisconsin, Madison), I would have loved something like it. They have a Facebook page (Service Learning) and their website is here. Check them out!
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i took a bunch of service learning courses at BSU, and it’s really a mixed bag. the most important things are organization and communication: you’re responsible for knowing basically what you want the students to do and conveying that to them, and they’re responsible for contributing ideas and following directions. without a lot of careful planning you’ll have a handful of frustrated students focused less on service and more on stressing about how they’re going to get their hours in. well executed, though, it can be an extremely rewarding experience for everyone involved. i continue to volunteer for one of the nonprofits i did service learning with a year ago.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense. I'm hoping that helping with the Hootenanny is a clear, cool goal to work towards... and an incentive for them is to go to the concert and see the fruits of their labors!
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