Eight students in the SESP Civic Engagement Certificate Program received a grant of $3,720 from the Alumnae of Northwestern to support an innovative outreach initiative they designed for their
capstone project. The project initiates a leadership program at Evanston Township High School with monthly workshops for sophomores.
SESP students Jessica Woll, Kelli Marks, Jerred Roggensack, Rebecca Swan, Esther Wang and Anne Wong, along with Naadia Owens (WCAS) and Veronica Morales (Communications), developed the ETHS program, called Emerge. It aims to develop the leadership abilities of ETHS sophomores and inspire them to use these skills to improve their communities. The students' collaborators in this start-up are Mary Collins, the ETHS community service coordinator, and Marybeth Schroeder, a senior program coordinator for the Evanston Community Foundation.
The curriculum the students developed features sessions focusing on teaching leadership skills and then applying those skills to a community project. In November the students began creating the curriculum and running the workshops, and the program continues through May.
Feedback on Emerge has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, 26 of the 51 students completing an assessment rated the first session "super" and 23 rated it "good"; other sessions received similar assessments. The retention rate has been similarly positive, with 60 or 66 students remaining in the program.
Although the Civic Engagement Certificate Program requires only a one-year effort, the eight Northwestern students intend to keep working on Emerge in the coming years. "We would like to see the program become one that fosters leadership abilities among ETHS students and inspires them to use these skills to improve their communities. We hope Emerge can act as a foundation for creating a positive relationship between ETHS, Northwestern, and the Evanston community by facilitating collaboration between these parties," they wrote in their proposal.
Sponsors for the students' project at SESP are Paul Arnston and Bruce Nelson, faculty members for the Civic Engagement Certificate Program. This program, open to all Northwestern students, is a two-year course of study that provides a deeper understanding of the forces shaping communities and the means of effecting positive change.
The Alumnae of Northwestern, a volunteer organization founded in 1916, serves the University and community by granting fellowships, scholarships and awards to faculty, students and University programs. Alumnae grant funds are raised through the Continuing Education program that offers classes to alumni and community members.