IMPACT! Program Partners

IMPACT! students work with one organization for both the fall and spring semesters. Students have to think about not only their interests but also how the service will fit into their weekly schedules.

Students choose from the following list of partners:

Amherst Survival Center
The Amherst Survival Center provides a variety of services including free lunches, a furniture and clothing exchange, an emergency food pantry, and a variety of referral services.  One goal of the center is to create a supportive community among the people who use the services.  Seventy percent of the people who use the Center also volunteer there.  They need volunteers who want to help create and sustain this community.  Historically, the Amherst Survival Center has been a very popular service placement for IMPACT! students.

Capacidad Afterschool Program
Capacidad 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 and 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 volunteers must work a minimum of one day per week, but Capacidad would gladly appreciate students who can spend more time there as well.

Everywoman's Center (EWC)
The Everywoman's Center is a multicultural campus-based women’s center with a mission to provide leadership in promoting educational access and equity for women, to empower women to take full control of their lives and to strengthen the connections among women.  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.  EWC has several volunteer opportunities, including the Educator/Advocate Program and the Counselor Advocate Program (rape crisis counseling); visit EWC's website for more details on these programs.  The time commitment for EWC volunteers is significant, but volunteers receive extensive professional development and training.  Most volunteers stay with EWC throughout their college careers, long after their contracted hours are complete.

Labor/Management Workplace Education Program
The Labor/Management Workplace Education Program (LMWEP) is a unique and innovative educational partnership between the University and its labor unions.  It offers both basic and ongoing skills for leadership and job development for Frontline Workers.  Program planning and classroom methods are highly participatory and experiential.  The program explores issues of classism, diversity, community, and social justice.  It offers basic education classes that are designed for workers who are stepping back into education and looking for learning opportunities to gear up for their future.  In addition, it hosts a radio show for workers on Tuesday nights.  Student volunteers work as classroom assistants in a variety of courses, including English for Speakers of Other Languages, Adult Basic Education, and Computer Skills.

The Literacy Project's Amherst Adult Learning Center
A community-based non-profit formed in 1984, The Literacy Project (TLP) provides basic skills education and training to adults at five community learning centers in Western Massachusetts.  The organization believes that literacy and basic education are the building blocks of democracy and community development.  Small classes, a varied schedule, and plenty of individual attention help students meet their goals.  Classes in reading, writing, math, GED preparation, computer literacy, creative writing, science, social studies, humanities and the arts, leadership development and job training are offered.  The Literacy Project seeks volunteers to serve as classroom assistants and one-on-one tutors.

Parent Child Development Center (Head Start)
Head Start is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on assisting low-income children ages 3-5 so that they are prepared for school.  Head Start was originally created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, and later moved to the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (later the Department of Health and Human Services) by the Nixon Administration.  At Head Start at the Parent Child Development Center in North Amherst, student volunteers work as classroom assistants, helping the lead instructors with art projects and general class management.