Virginia State University (VSU) is working with Southside Community Partners to establish a Student Ambassador program as part of VSU President Miller's Building a Better World initiative. Funded by The Cameron Foundation, this program will encourage and educate students about the importance of community services through one-day, weekend and on-going service-learning partnerships with community-based organizations.
3. Serving those who Serve our
Community
Helping community
stakeholders to
connect, discover, &
engage with resources
and people so they can
more effectively deliver
programs and activities
that improve the quality
of life for residents in
Southside VA.
5. Grant Details
O Community service as central focus of VSU
outreach mission
O 16 student ambassadors with various
majors, classifications, backgrounds will work
with agencies in The Cameron Foundation
service area in a two semesters terms
• Supervised by Community Outreach
Coordinator and Community Service
Committee of faculty and staff
• Students will work, one day, weekend and on-
going projects
6. Grant Details cont.
O Students will have the opportunity to be
mentored by various non-profit leaders
O Student ambassadors will encourage and
educate all students on campus about the
importance of community service
O Demonstrate to community based
organizations the benefit of partnering
with VSU
7. Project Goals to Address:
O High poverty rates
O High drop out rates
O Low high school
persistence rates
O Low 4 year high
school graduation
rates
O Connecting VSU
students and staff to
community based
providers
8. Objectives
• Address the immediate needs of citizens with
compassion in a way that empowers citizens
• Develop life-long commitment to volunteering in
African American college graduates and possible
commitment to living and working in the Cameron
Foundation servicing area.
• Create a relationship where area pre-college
students model VSU student and aspire to seek a
college education
• Fostering communication, cooperation and
coordination among service providers and VSU
students to build healthy relations
• Empower citizens by working hand in hand with
VSU students on community service projects
9. Trojan Ambassadors for
Community Togetherness
(TACT)
O Purpose
O To make an impact
in the tri-cities
area, and learn
from those we are
helping; to carry
our lessons with us
and apply them to
our future
endeavors.
10. Mission
O Mission: To Identify, To Form, To
Develop, and to Document
O Identify: We identify non-profit organizations and
assist with their current plan of action. i.e
programs, activities
O Form: We form a relationship with the staff and
their targeted community.
O Develop: We develop a strategy where T.A.C.T
members can use their specialized skills to further
advance the current efforts of the organization.
O Document: We document what we have
learned/acquired in order to fulfill our purpose.
11. Values & Passion
O VALUES: We value being hospitable and
diverse, as well as having
passion, integrity, and working as a team.
O The core values of T.A.C.T serve as a
catalyst for our actions and overall
fulfillment of our purpose.
O Passion: Each member of T.A.C.T is
driven and dedicated to carrying out our
services in the tri-cities area.
12. Defining our Work
O Community Service
-Collaborations with
local non-
profit, governmental
and community
based organizations
designed to
improve the quality
of life for the
community and
residents.
13. Defining our Work cont.
O Service Learning - A method of teaching
that combines formal instruction with a
related service in the community.
O Servant Leader - Someone who is a
servant first, who has responsibility to be in
the world, and so he or she contributes to
the well-being of people and the
community
14.
15.
16. Student Learning Objectives
• Gain better understanding of and appreciation of
service learning and community service.
• Become more knowledgeable about the Cameron
Foundation service area and become aware of
prominent issues facing the region
• Enhance the ability to see the issues through a
variety of lenses and formulate perspectives that
incorporate those lenses
• Develop a greater understanding of themselves
and how to apply knowledge gained in their
engagement activities
• Be inspired for deeper engagement and service to
the region
17. Call to Action
• Work with non-profit and
community based
organizations to support
their mission
• Expose students to the
good work that is being
done in the community
• Keep our talented students
here in the community
• Work side by side with
residents
• Serve as positive role
models for students in our
community
18. Contact Information
Rebecca Eisenman Rudi Jackson
Southside Community Virginia State University –
Partners Dept. of Students
reisenman@scpartners.o Services
rg rjackson@vsu.edu
804.458.6329 x 2013 804.524.5595