Mead's 1999 Nebraska Community Improvement Program Submission

Community: Mead Population: 530

Name of Project: Scholarships for Youth Leaders

Project Coordinators: Chris Gustafson, NCIP Chairman 1997, UNL student, Community Volunteer

Project Time Table: long term

Date began: August 1998 Date completed: On going

Volunteer hours: 100 Number of (local) Volunteers: 5 Age Range: 18 - 60

Connection to community goals: Mead has supported youth initiatives and leadership with open arms. From our first community development goal setting sessions through our school visioning process, community members have wanted students to have opportunities to excel and accept leadership roles.

Project Summary: Chris Gustafson has served in many roles including NCIP Chairman before leaving Mead for the University of Nebraska. He has embraced opportunites and encourages excellence in others. Chris saw what he percieved as a need to offer a scholarship based on community service. Students should be rewarded for their efforts to make their hometowns better places to live and work.

Chris began to network and "talk up" this idea of scholarships for community service and pretty soon many folks across Nebraska were listening.

Probably the best way to present this project is through numerous e-mails about the idea.

From Chris Gustafson

To: Pat Scheele, NCIP Report Book Coordinator and Community Volunteer

"I began working on the idea of a scholarship based solely on community service hours shortly after I attended a conference that spent a good deal of time talking about the future of small towns and rural Nebraska. As a former student of Mead Public Schools and resident of Mead, I know that getting involved in your town, especially working to improve it, gives a person a sense of ownership and responsibility. "

"The cost of post-secondary education can weigh heavily on a person's decision to attend college, and many students are willing to work if they think they can get financial aid, especially debt free aid like scholarships. However, while most scholarships incorporate community activities into the selection process, GPA and standardized test scores are seen as more important. This scholarship does not take grade point average or test scores into consideration; it is simply up to the student, and how much time and energy they are willing to put into their community. I think the greater chance for students not at the top of their class will significantly increase the rate of participation in the program."

"Originally, I planned on trying to raise the money locally, and if the program was successful, send student leaders to area schools and promote the idea. However, I was able to get in touch with Doug Gibbs, the deputy director of the Nebraska Rural Development Commission, who showed interest in the project. He invited me to attend a meeting of the Rural Life Committee of the Rural Development Commission, in Peru on July 23. I wrote up an outline of the project:"

Youth Community Service Scholarship

A community member or committee will head up this project. The responsibilities of the committee will be to gather and keep track of projects suggested by community members, verify student ideas, and to validate and record each student's hours.

Students will sign up in 9th grade. A file will be started for them, and community service hours will be recorded until graduation.

Students can choose a project submitted by a community member (all community members are encouraged to submit ideas), or propose their own plan. Either way, official approval of all projects is required.

A scholarship will be provided to a student in each graduating class with the highest number of community service hours performed, regardless of GPA, class rank, etc. Scholarship can be applied to any form of higher education, including 2 year schools, community colleges, or university. Students not being awarded the scholarship, but completing certain levels of community service will be awarded medals, hopefully at graduation.

After a year or two, we are planning on having Mead student leaders collaborate with other area schools to set up similar programs, and hopefully branch out across the state.

The committee was very enthusiastic about the idea. Doug wanted me to talk to Jerry Hoffman, the director of the School at the Center Project. At this meeting, Jerry mentioned a program to award scholarships to teachers who incorporate community service and entrepreneurship into the curriculum, as an additional part of the program.

... It was decided that a meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on August 31, at the Mead High School commons. Jerry, Doug, Howard McNiff, George Robertson, Mark Gustafson, Pat Scheele, and Neil Selko have been invited to attend.

Doug is going to type up what we have to this point (August 13) and bring it to the meeting on the 31st.

That's all I have so far,

Chris

Below is the e-mail from Jerry Hoffman.

From: "Jerry Hoffman" jerry_lee_hoffman@email.msn.com

To: "Douglas Gibbs gibbsd@mail.state.ne.us Chris Gustafson cgustaf2@bigred.unl.edu

CC: "Chuck T. Karpf Jr. " FACT@prairieweb.com

Subject: School at the Center's Advisory Council

Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 16:37:18 -0500

"Doug and Chris: thanks for the meeting this morning regarding the creation of a Youth Community Service Scholarship. Your idea is wonderful, Chris. I look forward to meeting in Mead to explore whether there is interest to pilot this initiative in your home community."

"Chris: the School at the Center has an advisory council. Doug serves on it, as does Howard McNiff. There are probably 10 or so others on the council. We have only met once over the last year. Chuck Karpf, council member, is taking the lead on getting the council meeting more frequently around an agenda of moving School at the Center from a "project" being supported by the Annenberg Rural Challenge to an organizational entity focused on creating a system of rural community-schools in Nebraska, and possibly throughout the Great Plains. I was wondering if you would like to serve on the council? Chuck is looking at a schedule that would have us meet every three months or so. Your intellectual contribution would be valued, and youthful perspective greatly appreciated."

"Please give some thought to your time at the University, and with other activities. I'd like to know by the time we meet in Mead at the end of this month."

Peace to you,

Summary: This project is like no other that we have reported on in this NCIP Report Book or any other. It began as a young person's idea and the idea is now shared by key community development people from several agencies in the state.

Who would have thought that giving a young person a voice in community betterment would grow into a possible statewide project?

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