Using hands-on project-based learning to build intergenerational relationships
Abstract
Designing mentoring programs that include definite activities and outcomes may support the mentor-mentee relationship, as bonding may be facilitated through working together. This effective practice highlights RSVP volunteers who mentor students in woodworking techniques through the RSVP Juvenile Detention Center Program in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.Issue
There are many factors that contribute to the success of mentoring at-risk youth. Offering structure and support while undertaking a project that is artistic, engaging and cultivates new skills may be one formula for success.Action
RSVP volunteers mentor students enrolled in an alternative high school in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
Planning
Woodworking in a shop with power tools as a mentoring activity requires special attention to issues of student/volunteer safety, liability, and volunteer training. Planning the program involved:
- Addressing questions about insurance (covered by RSVP)
- Planning sufficient safety training for both the volunteers and students
- Defining initial projects and working out a schedule
- Recruiting volunteers to start the program
- Obtaining resources for woodworking projects
- Arranging for teacher/staff supervision during the project
Curriculum
- Project-based mentoring takes place in the school shop for two hours, four days a week. RSVP volunteers commit to staffing two sessions each week, but also cover each other to allow for vacations and personal leave.
- Eighteen volunteers currently participate in the program, most with college degrees and backgrounds in law, medicine, education, and law enforcement. They work one-on-one with students on projects in the woodworking shop; the class is open to all students.
- Part of the class entails safety training and each student is trained on every tool and passes a test on its use.
- The volunteer leader works closely with the school principal to coordinate the budget, supervise inventory, schedule weekly volunteers, and match the students with volunteers.
- Volunteers with lower levels of woodworking experience rely on the expertise of other volunteers to be sure all students are equally instructed.
Volunteer recruitment, training and retention
- The volunteer leader works with the school principal, the networks of current volunteers, and the RSVP program, to keep an adequate number of volunteers serving at the Center.
- Outreach has taken place through Kiwanis, church groups, and advertisements placed in a local newspaper.
- Recruitment begins with an interview and a very specific job description; questions explore the attitudes of potential volunteers towards at-risk youth, particularly to gauge whether or not they are open and non-judgmental. The volunteer leader then takes volunteers on a site tour, introducing the youth and the philosophy of the program. After the volunteers are oriented to shop safety and operation of tools, the mentoring match begins.
Context
The idea for this program is attributed to Charles F. Fernandez, who moved into the Stevens Point area as a retiree and recent widower. He came to the RSVP program looking for some constructive ways to get involved. Charlie's background included coming to this country as an immigrant, not learning to read until he was thirteen, and subsequently reaching out to other at-risk youth to help them along. He built an extensive career working with at-risk youth as a teacher at Fox Valley Technical School in Appleton, WI. Charlie first volunteered with the RSVP juvenile detention center program in Stevens Point, which got him thinking about ways of reaching out to youth before they get into trouble.
This project-based mentoring program requires an excellent relationship with the school district, especially an open and trusting relationship between the school principal, RSVP staff and the volunteer leader. This relationship motivated the principal to seek ways to cut through red tape and keep the project moving.
Outcome
- The woodworking class has become an integrated and popular curriculum offering at the alternative high school.
- At-risk youth participating in the project-based mentoring program show improved school attendance, increased self-esteem, positive attitudes and greater motivation to learn.
According to one student, "Before the program was developed, a lot of us felt that we really had no place in the community. We were looked down upon by our elders. The members volunteer out of the kindness of their hearts, and they are greatly appreciated. It really shows that there are people who care, and that not everyone out there is heartless, and there is a place in the community for today's youth."
Evidence
- Teacher surveys indicate noticeable student improvement in self esteem and interest in learning
- Participation in the program contributes to improved school attendance
- The volunteer class has become a mandated part of the alternative school's curriculum
- When the original alternative school was torn down, the program had achieved enough stature that the new building was constructed with appropriate ventilation and space specifically for the woodworking project
- The new alternative school was named after the mentoring program's founder and RSVP volunteer, the Charles F. Fernandez Center for Alternative Learning
Posted On
August 30, 2006For More Information
Resources
The Wilderness Youth Project in Santa Barbara, CA offers project-based mentoring in wilderness settings.
The City University of Hong Kong operates an extensive project-based mentoring program for students enrolled in its industrial education program.