Agents of changeAround the Mall, Summer 2012 | No Comment | |
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows journeyed to Franklin, Tenn., on February 27 and 28 for Volunteer Tennessee’s third annual Tennessee Conference on Volunteerism and Service Learning. The fellows, educational leaders from nine developing nations, attended workshops on project-based learning in multicultural communities, integrating art into service, building youth leadership capacity and leveraging community resources. The theme for the conference, “Serve. For a Change,” encouraged participants to think about the impact of service, to not only do good, but to make long-lasting changes in individuals and communities.
The concept of impact is fundamental to the Humphrey Fellowship Program. Fellows are selected because they are agents of change. They are policymakers, educators and reformers, private and public sector leaders with lengthy records of service and visions for the future. Fellows engage in service not only to connect with and support the Nashville community, but also to learn, to gain skills and experiences that will deepen their impact back home.
Fellows were engaged in service directly following their August arrival in Nashville. They sorted school supplies and assisted with teacher shopping at LP Pencil Box, organized donations for the Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement program, helped out at the Second Harvest Food Bank, painted a firehouse on MLK Day of Service, and reached out to students at Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School and Eakin Elementary. Fellows individually served with organizations such as the Red Cross, STEM Prep Charter School, Hands On Nashville and the Nashville Public Library. Additionally, each fellow was engaged in a high level internship at educational organizations around the city to learn, but also to contribute to the development of our educational system.
The fellowship year officially ended in June, but Humphrey Fellows’ impact will extend beyond that time. Lessons learned in service will enable fellows to implement their plans in their home countries—plans that include improving low performing schools; empowering women, people with disabilities and those in rural communities; creating new non-governmental organizations to address unmet needs; or promoting service-learning methodology in their schools and organizations.
For more information about the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program and the Fellows:
photo credits: Courtesy Humphrey Fellows Program