» Pace Steering Committee updates

In April 2009, Princeton University students passed a USG referendum to redirect approximately $90,000 from a fall concert and other activities to support student-initiated service projects coordinated by the Pace Center.
A steering committee of 17 student leaders from the USG and Pace Center programs, including Community House, the Student Volunteers Council, Breakout, Internships, and the Pace Council for Civic Values, gathered together regularly from late spring through early fall. The student leaders met in person and via conference calls, even though many of them were scattered across the globe this summer. They shared information about community needs, possibilities for student involvement, and opportunities for on-going engagement. They framed their goals:

• to use referendum funds responsibly and appropriately;  
• to make Princeton students more aware of the effects of the economic crisis on surrounding communities;
• to prioritize student voices and the opinions of Princeton students interested in service;
• to communicate to the student body how funds are used and what outcomes are achieved;
• to increase student awareness of and involvement in civic engagement opportunities.

The steering committee gave priority to opportunities that met significant needs of communities hit hard by the recession, expanded opportunities for all Princeton students to serve, and would not occur without support from the USG funds. The committee looked for new initiatives that would appeal to people who might otherwise not have been interested in getting involved or able to do so.

The steering committee endorses the following opportunities for Princeton students to work in partnership to help local communities that have been particularly affected by the economic downturn. In all cases, students are responding to real needs, making tangible differences, and creating sustainable ties to local communities. None of these projects would have happened without the extraordinary generosity of the Princeton student body. Following are brief descriptions of the projects proposed, including estimates of the number of Princeton participants, the community impact, and the associated costs.

• Send Hunger Packing addresses growing food insecurity among children and their families in the greater Trenton area by connecting school children with healthy, easily prepared food that will nourish them over weekends and holidays. Approximately 10 student volunteers each week will play an important role as the link between the food bank and the schools, by sorting, packaging, and delivering food for up to 150 school children. $3,500 for transportation and supplies.
• KaBoom! provided a community-building opportunity to construct a playground accessible to families in the John Witherspoon neighborhood of Princeton. Approximately 100 volunteers participated in this one-day effort. $2,000 for food and supplies.

• Generation One prepares motivated students to become the first members of their family to attend college; the program provides academic support and prepares participants for the college selection and application process. Twenty-five student volunteers work regularly with up to 50 high school students. $1,200 for volunteer training, supplies, transportation to college visits.
• Book and Build expands existing family literacy programs by introducing math and science literacy activities led by Princeton Engineering Education for Kids. Thirty-two volunteers will interact with eighty students and their families. $1,800 for supplies.
• The Writer’s Ace combines exposure to tennis lessons with on-going writing workshops for middle school students. Approximately 10 volunteers work with 20 school students. $3,200 for transportation and supplies.
• Science education enrichment for underserved minority youth participants in Community House’s After School Academy (CHASA). Approximately 15 volunteers reach 20-40 students. $1,500 for supplies and volunteer training.

• The PCCV will administer a fund to support and enable student-initiated civic engagement and community service projects.  The PCCV funds fill a specific niche by supporting off-campus initiatives in the community and ventures proposed by students not affiliated with existing student organizations.  This fund is intended to expand the service commitment throughout student organizations and to be a nimble means to meet additional needs that emerge. $15,000.

• Inter-Action 2010 will be a signature program of service over Intersession with Princeton's local community partners matched by educational opportunities that will equip Princeton students with the skills necessary to be effective lifelong leaders for social change. The program is expected to include 150-200 student participants, working with 10-15 community partner organizations. $40,000 for supplies, transportation, logistics support, and trainings.
• The College Awareness program will send Princeton students to New York City classrooms over fall and spring break periods, during which they will inform and advise high school students about post-secondary opportunities. Thirty students will work with hundreds of high school students. $12,000 for transportation, food, lodging, training, and supplies.
• Breakout Princeton will offer spring immersion experiences focused on a region or community hard-hit by the economic downturn; since the trips will be fully funded, no student will be unable to participate because of financial constraints. Approximately 24 students. $12,000 for transportation, food, lodging, training, and supplies.

The Steering Committee wants to encourage all Princeton students to get involved in one of these organized opportunities or to propose a new initiative to the PCCV.  Information about these initiatives is available via the Pace Center website and the USG website. Student leaders and participants will be posting regular updates.