EMU Today

YPSILANTI — A group of Eastern Michigan University faculty and students have received a $12,960 grant from the Ford Community Corps, a unique program of Ford Fund that brings students from a network of colleges and universities together with nonprofit organizations seeking new solutions to issues in the community. 

According to the Ford Community Corps website, unlike traditional volunteer programs, the Ford Fund matches Ford Community Corps projects with student’s expertise and the skills required by a specific project. The program creates real value for both the students and the non-profit organizations serving the community.

"Henry Ford believed in something he called Learning by Doing. Making a connection between what a person learns in the classroom, or from a book, and its application in the real world.” said Farah Harb, Ford Motor Company Fund Global Education Programs Analyst. “Learning by Doing drives people to take tangible action to create positive change and that’s what Ford Community Corps is all about. Ford Community Corps connects students with local nonprofit organizations and empowers them to use their skills and knowledge to impact their community.”

The students participating in the Ford Community Corps have the opportunity to use skills they develop on campus in a real-world environment. Working under the supervision of a faculty member, they gain valuable insight into career options and are exposed to the role and contributions of corporations in civic life. They see firsthand Ford Fund’s commitment to building sustainable communities and how their own participation makes a difference in the lives of others.

"The Ford Community Corps grants validate and affirm the integration of community into teaching, curriculum and student learning,” said Decky Alexander, EMU professor and director of Engage@EMU. “For me personally as a faculty member and the instructor of the storytelling class, this grant will allow us resources to document and give voice to some of our community's most vulnerable residents, seniors, through storytelling and conversation.”

The Projects

The Women in Computer Science organization will work with the Detroit Community Technology Project to create a comprehensive online learning platform. As part of the project, students will contribute to JavaScript codebase, write code in Ruby on Rails after a short training, develop software by employing proven software engineering principles, practice good teamwork strategies and continuously communicate with all parties involved, and share and reflect on their experiences in developing software for an external client.

Students from the Communications 681 special topics course will work with Chance for Life, and organization that offers behavioral and life skills trainings to individuals returning from prison. The students will design a comprehensive workshop/training session for the staff at Chance for Life that focuses on working with Facebook. The project will focus on content creation, building a following, Facebook advertising, and privacy rights. All attendees of the workshop will receive several handouts to assist them with remembering and applying information from the session.

The Eta Sigma Gamma Honorary Organization will work with Peer Health Exchange, an organization that empowers college students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to make healthy decisions by them to teach a skills-based health curriculum in under-resourced high schools across the country. The grant project will involve the EMU student organization to develop a relationship with the Ypsilanti School District to determine schools that should receive the online Peer Health Exchange Curriculum. 15-20 EMU students from the organization will then be trained to implement the online Peer Health Exchange Curriculum at those schools.

25 students from the CTAR 504 storytelling course and ReGen Theater, an Intergenerational and Improvisational Storytelling Collaborative, will be using theatre and educational theatre, and improvisation with a specific emphasis on storytelling and story building, to engage and entertain residents of the Ypsilanti Senior Center as part of the Storytelling with Seniors project.

Students from the Health Education Methods and Materials course (HLED 345) will partner with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Detroit to develop a digital marketing campaign to increase awareness of Big Brothers/Big Sisters to increase the number of mentor volunteers, volunteers, clients, and financial contributors. The class will give feedback and ultimately choose the best three digital marketing campaigns to present to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Detroit.

About eight to 10 students from the Spanish 430/530 Phonetics and Phonology course will also partner with the Ypsilanti Senior Center to expand the cooperation between the EMU Spanish programs and the Ypsilanti community. They will improve their knowledge and skills of the Spanish language by researching, creating activities and applying teaching strategies in non-traditional settings.

For more information, visit Engage@EMU's Community Projects or contact aa_asl@emich.edu

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves nearly 18,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and, its graduate school. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.

About Ford Motor Company Fund

As the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, Ford Fund's mission is to strengthen communities and help make people's lives better. Working with dealers and nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries, Ford Fund provides access to opportunities and resources that help people reach their full potential. Since 1949, Ford Fund has invested more than $2 billion in programs that support education, promote safe driving, enrich community life and encourage employee volunteering. For more information, visit www.fordfund.org or join us at @FordFund on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.