Campus Name
Pfeiffer University
Misenheimer, NC
Campus Contacts
Sudie Nallo / Sudie.nallo@pfeiffer.edu / 704-463-3440
Student Leaders' Names: Name / Email / Phone
PO Box 960 • Misenheimer, NC 28109
http://www.pfeiffer.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=35
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Issue Focus Area(s)
Education/Youth Development (At-risk youth and educational attainment)
Brief Overview
Pfeiffer University aims to address the issue of educational attainment, especially among at-risk youth. To address the above issue of low educational attainment, Pfeiffer University’s Francis Center for Servant Leadership is proposing an extensive mentorship/shadowing program that connects College Students with High School Students by setting up a peer network that encourages and supports youth in not only graduating from high school, but attending college. As a Serve 2.0 initiative, this project would connect the local resources of Pfeiffer University and North Carolina Campus Compact, with existing community partners Albemarle High School and Nazareth Children’s Home.
To address the dropout rates of high school youth and encouraging college attendance and completion, the Serve 2.0 initiative will strengthen campus-community partnerships by allowing for increased communications in program design and planning, at lower costs and with greater efficiency. The utilization of web communication tools and technology will allow for adequate marketing of programming in sourcing additional supports and creating a network of organizations with the same mission and vision in sharing best practices. With regard to increased levels of volunteerism, the Serve 2.0 initiative will provide increased outlets in recruiting volunteers to further enhance the traditional ways of sourcing volunteers. Pfeiffer will utilize a range of web-based tools including Facebook, MySpace, wikis, Google documents, Twitter, blogs, videos, and YouTube.
Key Community Partners
- Nazareth's Children's Home
Please feel free to add links and a sentence description about the partners. If a partner is missing from the map, please email address to Ariane Hoy at ahoy@bonner.org.
(see Serve 2.0 Mini-Grant Map)
Social Media Tools to Be Used
Facebook, videos, YouTube, wikis, blogs, Twitter, MySpace, Google gadgets/documents
Context and Rationale (Explanation of Tools)
Specific media tools of focus for this educational attainment program and details as to why these tools are most effective in the development of a mentor program are outlined below.
Facebook/Myspace
As the goal of this educational attainment mentorship program is to partner college students with high school students, Facebook/Myspace serves as an effective tool to recruit large numbers of volunteers. Growing numbers of college students use Facebook /Myspace to communicate. Utilizing these social media tools offers a way to advertise, recruit, and contact volunteers ongoingly. Increasingly, college students are less likely to check their campus emails and more likely to respond to Facebook/Myspace messaging from their peers. Therefore, having a student leader manage a Facebook/Myspace group encourage students to become mentors. However, these programs would not replace the Francis Center emailing system and would complement existing ways of recruiting volunteers. Additionally, use of Facebook/Myspace would allow for volunteer mentors and student leaders to communicate with one another more readily. The use of cell phones, phones, or face-to-face meetings is difficult at times considering student-volunteer extracurricular and academic schedules. Communicating via Facebook/Myspace allows for logistics to be relayed and confirmed at the convenience of a volunteer’s individual schedule.
Wiki/Google Documents
The use of Wikis and Google Documents will allow for an electronic compilation of project management logistics and an archive of pertinent information related to specific programs ranging from tutoring sessions, field trips, shadow days, and others. As contributions will come from the high school, children’s home, and other volunteer service programs, the use of a Wiki and Google Documents will serve as a great resource tool for administrators to access information. Mailing packets of information and compiling notebooks is tedious and cumbersome and often times materials become outdated as soon as they are generated. By using a Wiki and Google Documents, notebooks and materials related to the education program can be organized electronically. Forms for mentor/mentee registration can be accessed, permission slips can easily be printed off, performance data can be stored, and program reports can be generated and shared.
Twitter
The use of Twitter will provide instant access to volunteers and program participants for updates and program changes. In serving people a program must be readily adaptable and able to contact all parties involved in case of emergencies. If the High School or Children’s Home has a snow day, but the University is operating, using Twitter to send out emails canceling mentor site visits will allow for busy college students and program administrators to amend their schedules in advance and will encourage future participation the program.
Blog
Blogs serve as a vital reflection tool that allows mentors, mentees, and program administrators to formally or informally discuss their program experiences at their convenience. Again, with varying schedules it becomes difficult to schedule physical meetings and blogging allows for reflections to take place at anytime. Blogging will not replace physical meetings however, but will strengthen the reflection process by providing a diverse outlet where volunteers, program participants, and administrators can relay their thoughts and feelings related to the service.
YouTube
Youtube represents a media outlet for visually displaying the Education Program. No current video programs are used to illustrate specific service projects at Pfeiffer University. The use of Youtube as a reflection and marketing tool will allow for program participants to share their perspectives and experiences creatively through videos. Short clips describing the program, stakeholders, and objectives will be compiled and used as a marketing tool to recruit volunteers and participants in addition to growing the program by providing community partners with a product to market themselves and encourage additional organizations to join in efforts.
On-line Survey Tools
On-line program evaluation tools provide a quick and easy way to determine the effectiveness of service project components. The use of survey Monkey as an ongoing assessment tool will allow the Leadership and Management team to hear from team leaders and program members as to the effectiveness and convenience of incorporating media tools in the project. The use of paper surveys only is not eco-friendly and does not ensure a maximum sourcing of feedback from participants. The use of online evaluation programs in conjunction with paper surveys provides multiple opportunities to obtain data for program assessment and analysis on the effectiveness of media tool usage within the Program.
Link to Campus Organizing Strategies
Pfeiffer's approach builds on the work of the Francis Center for Servant Leadership and will utilize a number of teams. A team of individuals will be assembled with leaders designated for each media tool. A representative Faculty, Staff, and Student from Pfeiffer University along with a representative Staff and Student from Albemarle High School and Nazareth Children’s Home will be invited to work in each area to insure that each media tool is being utilized completely. Team leaders will then recruit volunteers to assist in the management and outreach of the technologies highlighted above. For example, team leaders will create a Facebook Group for the Educational Attainment Mentoring Program and volunteers will assist in recruiting members and organizations to the group ongoingly, posting notices with regard to deadlines and upcoming events, and relaying other details related to the program.
Goals of Initiative
The goal of this project is to enhance the Educational Attainment Mentoring Program using media tools. Specific objectives include increasing mentor/mentee participation using Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Blogging, and Videos, expanding and improving administrative supports and communications using Wikis and Google Documents, and building upon organizational networks and national resources with video marketing.
Key Activities and Timelines
Spring 2009
- During this time interest meetings will take place and team leaders will be identified to assume responsibility of specific media tools. At this time team leaders will be trained in how to effectively and efficiently use technologies to enhance the Education Program. Terms will be agreed upon between the University and Community Partners on the use of specific media tools and security/privacy agreements with Institutions involved. A time frame for launch and integration of media tools in the Education Program will be confirmed.
Summer 2009
- During this time team leaders will customize and design Facebook and Myspace Pages, create Twitter groups, Wiki Pages, Google Document Templates and Forms, Blog Pages, and Youtube Accounts.
Fall 2009
- At the beginning of the Fall 2009 Semester a roll-out of new web-based tools will take place in conjunction with the launch of the Education/Mentoring Program. Volunteers will be recruited for the management of these web-based tools from Pfeiffer University, Albemarle High School, and Nazareth Children’s Home. A series of trainings will take place to train volunteers on how the above noted media tools will be used and by September 2009, full use of the technologies will begin. Project management online forms and tools will be utilized to ongoingly assess the program and relay logistics and details. At the end of each month program participants will Blog about their experiences. Beginning in October 2009 program participants will also utilize Flipcams to gather footage for compilation of an intro video highlighting the project. This compilation of clips will be edited during the Holidays and used for marketing and advertising beginning in the Spring 2009.
Spring 2010
- During the Spring 2010 Semester mentors and mentees will work together on a social media project to be presented at the conclusion of the Spring semester to document their experience. Throughout the Spring semester Blogs, Myspace, Facebook, Wiki, and Twitter usage will be scaled up in addition to group reflections, one-on-one meetings, and workshops. Ongoing assessment of the program will take place during this time. Continual compilations of video clips documenting the Education program will be edited for the roll-out of a full video/commercial detailing the program.
Summer 2010
- As the school-year will have concluded, the early part of Sumer 2010 will include a close analysis and evaluation of the program and the use of media tools. Ongoing assessments will be compiled and reviewed and stakeholder meetings will take place to determine the successes and challenges and recommendations will be made for service project media improvements.
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