Seven Baldwin Wallace University students participated in the 2013 Project Affinity program this summer. The program took place from June 7 to Aug. 6.
Sponsored by the Office of Community Outreach, Project Affinity is an urban summer service program that enables students to “explore social justice issues, develop a direct relationship with individuals in Brooklyn Centre and the greater Cleveland community, and gain an understanding of non-profit work,” as stated on BW’s Project Affinity webpage.
This year’s participating students for the program were: Julie Chambers, a senior communications major; Meghan Dailey, a junior sustainability major; Mathew Gesicki, a senior English major and religion minor; Mylonne Sullivan, a junior criminal justice major and sociology minor; Devin Sweeney, a junior political science and public relations minor; and Doanise Thompson, a junior criminal justice major and sociology minor.
Alfrie Davis, a senior public relations major and urban studies minor, served as the Student Director for the program.
Students reside together in the Archwood House, a BW-owned facility, in Cleveland’s Brooklyn Centre neighborhood for the duration of the program. The student director of OCO lives on site with the students and guides them in using their practical skills to plan and implement a service learning experience. Students participate individually four days a week at a non-profit organization and one day a week as a group, which helps to provide them with an understanding of how nonprofits work. Participating in weekly educational discussions and reflections is also an integral part of the program.
Through the program, students create a learning plan for themselves, which consists of three goals and three ways to achieve these goals. The students ultimately give a presentation to showcase the learning that has taken place.
“I hope I can leave a footprint of service embodying the lines of diversity and the different faces of passion,” said Davis.