NS4G RFP

Northeastern University - Northeastern Students4Giving

2014 Request for Proposals:  Trauma Treatment, Diversity & Inclusion

Northeastern Students4Giving (NS4G), a student-led experiential philanthropy education program at Northeastern University, has announced two funding priorities for the 2014 grant cycle: Trauma Treatment and Diversity & Inclusion. One $10,000 grant will be awarded in each category. Applicants must be located in or serve the Boston communities of Mission Hill, Fenway, Roxbury, and the South End. Applications for both funding tracks are due by March 7, 2014.

For Trauma Treatment, funding will be provided to an organization addressing the effects of trauma on individuals and communities within Boston.  This grant is intended to help individuals and communities that have experienced trauma as the result of a single event, a series of events, or a set of circumstances over an extended period of time.  Services must be informed by an understanding of the lasting and diverse effects trauma may have on clients’ physical and mental health and overall quality of life, as well as on their families and communities. For the complete guidelines, including eligibility requirements, and a link to the application form, please click here or visit http://www.northeastern.edu/ns4g/trauma-treatment/. 

For Diversity and Inclusion, funding will be provided to an organization working to make Boston a welcoming and inclusive city in which diversity is recognized as a strength.  Specifically, we seek to fund an organization working to:

•  foster contact, communication, understanding, and mutual appreciation among diverse social groups to address the misperceptions that can result when they do not have the opportunity to interact; or
•   empower individuals to actively participate in all aspects of life in the city without discrimination or fear of violence or intimidation, regardless of their race, ethnicity, cultural background, religion, language, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical ability, or mental or physical health status.

For the complete guidelines, including eligibility requirements, and a link to the application form, please click here or visit http://www.northeastern.edu/ns4g/diversity-and-inclusion/

Contact

For more information about NS4G and our application process, please contact NS4G Program Director Rebecca Riccio at r.riccio@neu.edu or 617-373-4020.

Partner Spotlight- Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly

One of our fantastic service-learning community partners is Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly. Very often at Northeastern service opportunities focus on youth, and it can seem like there are not many other options.  There are a variety of reasons for the youth focus. In part, it makes sense to look ahead to the future by training the next generation to be well educated, engaged individuals.  Boston public schools and their affiliated non-profits also offer Northeastern lots of volunteer opportunities, so we offer them lots of volunteers.  For some students, this is not the path they want to take.  Some people prefer to volunteer with adults or have career plans that are not youth focused. It is very important for Northeastern to cater to both these students and to adult populations in the area.  

Little Brothers is an organization that pairs youth volunteers with older persons and offers opportunities to improve the lives of the older generations.  It also has the added effect of connecting the youth and elderly in a way that allows for an even exchange of information and opinions.  This may be as simple as matching two people to have coffee and talk every couple weeks.  It can also be more in depth, and youth can plan and cook meals for big events in the area, which will allow you to meet a much larger group of people.  Even if you don’t want to work with the elderly personally, you can volunteer to serve in the office for a few hours a week. 

Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly is an excellent opportunity for students looking to fulfil CEP volunteer hours, a Service-Learning requirement, or for those who are simply looking for something interesting to do near campus.  For more information, check out their website and full list of volunteer opportunities: http://boston.littlebrothers.org/volunteer.html

Civics 101: Getting youth involved with Generation Citizen

Generation Citizen is a community organization that works diligently to help mold students in public schools into active, civically engaged citizens.  They attempt to show students how important their voice is in the democratic system, with the hope that those students will go on to make it a better system for the next generation.  Recently, we had the chance to see Stephanie Eisemann and Stephanie Witek, two S-L students from Northeastern, facilitate in their classroom.

Sitting in the back of the room, my colleagues and I quietly observed as high school students worked collaboratively with their school Wellness Committee to ensure that there is some sort of healthy relationships workshop in Boston Public Schools.  I was impressed, and not only because of the lofty goals that these students had set.    They had laid out a comprehensive plan; including laying out action steps and targeting the community members that could help them accomplish their goals.  By the end of their project, the students at the Community Academy of Science and Health hope to have a mandatory assembly every year in Boston Public Schools to discuss healthy relationships, as well as smaller discussion-based meetings on the same topic. 

                From looking around at this site visit, Generation Citizen is obviously helping to get students involved in the democratic process. What I was not necessarily expecting was the deep impact that serving at Generation Citizen was having on the students from Northeastern.

Stephanie Eisemann was placed with Generation Citizen in the fall of 2012, her freshman year at NU, as part of the Civic Engagement Program.  She has apparently enjoyed her work there, as she has maintained a relationship with Generation citizen ever since.  Her work has even inspired her to pick up a minor in Political Science, which will hopefully keep her involved in the Democratic process for years to come.  Stephanie Witek is newer to the program, having just begun to serve with Generation Citizen through her service-learning Connections and Decisions class.  Despite only beginning to serve with Generation Citizen this fall, it seems that the programming she has facilitated has inspired her to pick up a social activism minor.

If you are interested in volunteering with Generation Citizen as a Democracy Coach, please click here: http://generationcitizen.org/apply-here/