Advocates for Community Engagement form connections

IU named 13 new Advocates for Community Engagement this fall, adding to the nine already in the program. \nThe program, which began in 2000, started out with just three students and is quickly growing. \nThe advocates work as a link between IU service-learning courses and local nonprofit organizations. All of the agencies affiliated with the program involve social issues. \nColleen Rose, the coordinator of the program, said it gives students the chance to interact with a variety of people, all in support of one cause. \n“Diverse groups of student come together to serve and share a common interest with people that are different,” she said. \nStudents work with organizations that focus on such topics as the environment, prison systems, poverty and education, Rose said. \nThe idea behind service-learning courses is that students will work and volunteer for an organization as part of an academic course. \nRose said students also gain real-life experience while participating in the program. It helps students connect with people in the community, she said. \nAfter being in the program, students feel “a part of the Bloomington Community, not just of Indiana University,” Rose said. \nThe organizations also benefit, she said, by working with skilled and educated students. \nDonnie Morgan, an advocate with the local Boys & Girls Club, said the experience provided real-world training outside the classroom. \nHe works as the club’s volunteer coordinator, where he has to recruit, train, schedule and manage more than 100 volunteers each semester. \n“Essentially, it is a job where I have gained the experience of managing over 100 different people a semester, while also interacting with my bosses (and) partners on various initiatives,” he said. “That experience is invaluable.” \nSo far, there are 20 local service organizations participating in the program, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, The Rise of Middle Way House, the Monroe County Public Library and Volunteers in Medicine.\nJoe Dodson, who is an Advocate for Community Engagement to IU’s Recreational Sports division, is in his first semester as an advocate. He said he decided to become an advocate after he volunteered regularly at the Shalom Center last year. His friend suggested that he apply because of the experience it provides. \n“This experience made me aware, in a very real way, of poverty issues in Bloomington,” he said. “It just provides me great work experience in a professional environment and at the same time, I am becoming more socially minded.” \nThere are no set requirements to become an advocate, Dodson said, but there is an application and an interview process. \nAshley Flora, an advocate with Girls Inc. of Monroe County, said the program allows her to give back to the community. \n“Being an ACE is equipping me with the skills to actively participate with a community,” she said in an e-mail interview, “in order to develop solutions that combat social issues in our society.