Pace Steering Committee

Inter-Action, one of the new immersion projects sponsored by the USG referendum funds, matched 130 Princeton students with volunteer projects in the Princeton and Trenton areas over four days in Intersession. Check out this article by the Prince to read more about it!

Also, visit the Pace website for pictures by clicking the picture below (featuring Jason Ramirez '13, Sachi Lake '11, Marjie Lam '13, Jessica Brooks '13, and Ben Levenson '13). 

An excerpt from the SVC 2009-2010 Communicator, page 5:

Click the picture below for the full story.

In April 2009, Princeton University students passed a USG referendum to redirect approximately $90,000 from a fall concert and other activities to support student-initiated service projects coordinated by the Pace Center. A steering committee of student leaders from Pace Center programs, including Community House, the Student Volunteers Council, Breakout, and the Pace Council for Civic Values, gathered together regularly from late spring through early fall to share information about community needs, possibilities for student involvement, and opportunities for on-going engagement. They framed their goals:

• To responsibly and appropriately utilize funds that were donated to Pace through the referendum
• To make Princeton students more aware of the effects of the economic crisis beyond the Princeton University campus
• To prioritize student voices and the opinions of Princeton students interested in service
• To communicate to the student body how the money is spent and what the outcomes are
• To get students more aware of civic engagement on campus and more involved

The steering committee gave priority to opportunities that met significant needs of communities hit hard by the recession, expanded opportunities for all Princeton students to serve, and would not occur without support from the USG funds. The committee looked for new initiatives that would appeal to people who might otherwise not have been interested in getting involved or able to do so.

The steering committee endorses the following opportunities for Princeton students to work in partnership to help local communities that have been particularly affected by the economic downturn. In all cases, students are responding to real needs, making tangible differences, and creating sustainable ties to local communities. None of these projects would have happened without the extraordinary generosity of the Princeton student body. Following are brief descriptions of the projects proposed, including estimates of the number of Princeton participants, the community impact, and the associated costs.

ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES:

Healthy neighborhoods

• Send Hunger Packing addresses growing food insecurity among children and their families in the greater Trenton area by connecting school children with healthy, easily prepared food that will nourish them over weekends and holidays. Approximately 10 student volunteers will package and deliver food for up to 150 school children. $3,500 for transportation, supplies, and logistics support.
• KaBoom! provided a community-building opportunity to construct a playground accessible to families in the John Witherspoon neighborhood of Princeton. Approximately 100 volunteers participated in this one-day effort. $2,000 for food and supplies.

Educational inequity

• Generation One prepares motivated students to become the first members of their family to attend college; the program provides academic support and prepares participants for the college selection and application process. Twenty-five student volunteers work regularly with up to 50 high school students. $1,200 for volunteer training, supplies, transportation to college visits.
• Book and Build expands existing family literacy programs by introducing math and science literacy activities led by Princeton Engineering Education for Kids. Thirty-two volunteers will interact with eighty students and their families. $1,800 for supplies.
• The Writer’s Ace combines exposure to tennis lessons with on-going writing workshops for middle school students. Up to 30 volunteers work with 40 school students. $3,200 for transportation and supplies.
• Science education enrichment for underserved minority youth participants in Community House’s academy. Approximately 15 volunteers reach 20-40 students. $1,500 for supplies and volunteer training.

Responding to community needs

• The PCCV will administer a fund to support individuals and student groups who want to pursue new ventures that involve other Princeton students in responding to community needs related to the economic downturn. This fund is intended to expand the service commitment throughout student organizations and to be a nimble means to meet additional needs that emerge. $15,000

IMMERSION EXPERIENCES:

• Inter-Action 2010 will be a signature program of service over Intersession with Princeton's local community partners matched by educational opportunities that will equip Princeton students with the skills necessary to be effective lifelong leaders for social change. The program is expected to include 130 student participants, working with 10-15 community partner organizations. $40,000 for supplies, transportation, logistics support, and trainings.
• The College Awareness program will send Princeton students to New York City classrooms over fall and spring break periods, during which they will inform and advise high school students about post-secondary opportunities. Twenty-four students will work with hundreds of high school students. $12,000 for transportation, food, lodging, training, and supplies.
• Breakout Princeton will offer spring immersion experiences focused on a region or community hard-hit by the economic downturn; since the trips will be fully funded, no student will be unable to participate because of financial constraints. Approximately 24 students. $12,000 for transportation, food, lodging, training, and supplies.