|
 The
Tallahassee Community College campus was invaded this week by high-schoolers
who hoped to learn how to identify their community's needs and how to
meet them.
The VolunteerLEON Service Leadership Ambassador
Camp ended Friday with several guest speakers, a screening of the
award-winning documentary "Rock and a Heart Place" and other fun
activities. The weeklong program was geared toward inspiring local youth
to tackle issues they care about.
About 80 students participated, earning community
service hours to count toward scholarships and academic programs. But
the students said they weren't there for nine hours a day just to get
required service hours.
"It's a good way to develop skills to help out the
community," said Aaron Massey, a rising senior at Chiles High School.
VolunteerLEON is a County organization that
promotes volunteerism and connects residents with volunteer
opportunities. The organization has a Youth Corps with membership open
to youth ages 12 to 18. This week's camp was open to current and
upcoming high school students.
"The curriculum is designed to increase
citizenship," said Amanda Phillips, volunteer coordinator with
VolunteerLEON. "We address the low rate of voting among the younger
population and emphasize knowing your government, how to research it and
how to take action."
In the mornings, the students engaged in activities
to learn about service leadership. The "Where Do You Stand?" exercise
taught students how to defend their opinions. After a lunch break,
students divided into smaller groups according to topics they chose,
such as disaster preparedness, violence prevention and philanthropy.
Other activities included a high and low ropes
course, visits to local nonprofit agencies and participation in a
service project. The camp was led by 12 student volunteers, who designed
daily activities. D.J. Shotwell, the only participant still in middle
school, rode his bike almost 7 miles in the mornings to get to the camp.
"I'm only going into eighth grade, but I want to get
my volunteer hours done early for college," he said.
Article by Laura Yo, Tallahassee Democrat Writer
The camp is funded through a generous grant from the
Points of Light Foundation and the Corporation for National & Community
Service. |
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