Citizen Scholars Program Partners

Citizen Scholars are strongly encouraged to engage in service with one of the community organizations listed below. These organizations and the Citizen Scholars Program work together to help address community needs while providing important educational opportunities for all involved in the service learning relationship.

Amherst Survival Center is a regional resource which provides food, health, clothing and community through volunteer efforts.  The community center provides a variety of services in their cozy space.  Services include: a free, nutritious lunch four days a week; a free thrift store; an emergency food pantry; a fresh food distribution program with bread and farm fresh vegetables; a free health clinic; assistance with health insurance and food stamp applications; case management; a bi-weekly family fun night and a variety of referral services.  One goal of the center is to create a supportive community among the people who use the ASC’s services. (Over 20% of the people using the services also serve there as well.)   They need interns who want to help be a part of and sustain this unique community. Interns help in nearly all areas of the center and ideally will be able to come for (at least) a two hour shift/week.  The Center is two miles north of campus on the bus line.  Hours for service are Mondays: 9-3:30 with  Family Night (2 Mondays a month) from 4-7; Tuesdays: 9-3:30; Wednesdays: 9-12; Thursdays: 9-7; and Fridays: 9-3:30.  Contact Tracey Levy at (413)549-3968 x202. 

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hampshire County (BBBS) has been providing one-to-one mentoring relationships to local children in need of positive adult influence and friendship since 1975. Supervised by a staff of professional case coordinators, “bigs” spend time weekly with a child for at least one year developing a positive, trusting, and enriching friendship.  A special person, such as a "big brother" or "big sister" can often be the one factor that can change the destiny of a child's life, providing the resources and encouragement to become a productive and healthy adult. The primary program requires a full year commitment and access to a car or other reliable transportation; it also has flexible hours.  If you are interested in working with BBBS, it is imperative that you contact the BBBS of Hampshire County over the summer in order to begin the application and interview process, which includes a CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) and driving record check.  Contact BBBS at (413) 253-2591or bbbshc@chd.org   

Capacidad Afterschool Program is a multicultural, anti-bias afterschool program serving children ages 5-12 at the Fort River Elementary School in Amherst.  The program seeks to empower children and families through a social justice curriculum, a focus on creative arts, and a community-based learning environment.  Capacidad also seeks to empower college students to work with children using skills in conflict resolution, bias intervention, behavior management, creative leadership and educational/cultural group facilitation.  Capacidad provides training for new volunteers as well as the opportunity to contribute directly to their curriculum.  Student interns must work a minimum of one day per week, but Capacidad would appreciate students who can spend more time there as well. Contact: Danielle Phillips, Program Director, capacidad.programs@gmail.com

Girls Inc. of Holyoke, an affiliate of the national organization, Girls Incorporated, is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold.  Girls Inc. has been committed to empowering girls ages 5 – 18 in the Holyoke community for over 20 years. Through their programs, their staff focuses on academic achievement, peer leadership and youth empowerment. They are seeking tutor and homework help interns to support a homework help/academic skill building program for girls (mainly 12-16).  Interns support girls as academic achievers, build their ability to navigate their school requirements, develop homework help strategies, and encourage student attendance at Girls Inc.  They are also seeking computer lab support interns for their technology program and computer lab for girls (mainly 12-16) to support girls’ access to the computer lab, teach girls how to safely navigate the web and feel confident with technology, and develop lessons that support technology skill building. Interns attend relevant trainings at Girls Inc. of Holyoke, commit a minimum of one day (Monday-Thursday, 2 hours per week after school), and maintain a consistent schedule.  Girls Inc. is not located on a bus route from Amherst.  (Contact Chris Felton at cmfelton@honors.umass.edu for intern position descriptions.) Contact Sarah Dunton, Dir. of Youth Development, at (413)533-0796, sdunton@girlsincholyoke.org  

Everywoman’s Center (EWC) is a multicultural, campus-based women’s center.  It provides leadership in promoting educational access and equity for women to empower them to take full control of their lives.  EWC works to stop all forms of oppression, particularly those based on gender, age, class, ethnicity, race, mental and physical ability, sexual orientation and spiritual belief.  Placements at EWC include:
-the Educator/Advocate Program that trains individuals to be educators and advocates around issues such as rape awareness, sexual harassment, and teen dating violence (contact Angela Bruns at (413) 577-4229).
-the Counselor/Advocate program that trains individuals to be crisis counselors on the C/A hotline   (contact Julie Schliebner at (413) 545-5839).
Note: Placements at EWC require intensive training and a year-long commitment.  EWC welcomes both men and women as interns. 

The Literacy Project is an alternative school for adults (16 and older) who dropped out of high school.  The organization believes that literacy is a building block of democracy, and that access to education is a basic human right.  It is a voluntary program with small, comfortable classes, where each student works at their own pace towards their own goals.  Most students are learning basic skills like reading, writing and math; some are working at a higher level to prepare for college or job training programs.  Those doing service help out as classroom assistants, tutoring the students individually and leading small group lessons.  Most of the classes are scheduled in the mornings, Monday - Friday.  Training is provided.  The Amherst classroom is one of The Literacy Project's five learning centers in the Pioneer Valley; it's on the bus route and a short walk from the center of town.  The Ware and Orange classrooms require a car.  (On Monday mornings in Ware, the GED class will focus on bringing the arts and humanities into the curriculum with hands-on art, including sculpture, oil painting, photography, as well as some drama.)  Contact Margaret Anderson at (413)774-3934x15 or margaret@literacyproject.org

Nuestras Raíces is a grassroots organization that promotes economic, human and community development in Holyoke, the poorest community in the Commonwealth, through projects relating to food, agriculture and the environment.  Nuestras maintains a large urban farm and five community gardens, and serves as an incubator for new small businesses emerging from the community. Urban agriculture has proven to be an effective way to promote community development because it is a way for the residents of downtown Holyoke to maintain a connection to their culture while putting down roots in their new home.  Most of its members grew up on the farms of rural Puerto Rico and many first came to the Northeast as migrant farm workers.  They have lifetimes of experience in agriculture and it is part of their heritage.  Projects based on agriculture, such as markets and community gardens, build on the skills and knowledge that participants already have and are proud to use to improve their community and to teach to a younger generation. Urban agriculture and gardening is also an effective grassroots solution to the problem of food insecurity and under nutrition that plagues many poor communities. The efforts of urban farmers and gardeners provide a reliable food supply and also a supplemental source of income.  Nuestras Raíces works with interns to try to match projects with skills, talents, experiences and goals.  Nuestras Raíces is not located on a bus route, but carpools can often be arranged.  Hours are 9-5pm, Monday-Friday, with some Saturday hours possible.  Contact Amy Calandrella (Citizen Scholar ‘09) at amyc@nuestras-raices.org 

Citizen Scholars, if none of these sites fit your interests, please talk with a member of the CSP staff and then submit a proposal for a different site (guidelines are available in the Handbook).  If you wish to propose an alternative placement, remember that we are seeking both to honor and build our relationships with specific community-based organizations and to honor and build your passion for working to make a difference.