Youth In Transition
The transition from childhood to adolescence is challenging, to say the least. How can we help Portland-area kids stay in school and focused on their futures? In this spring-term capstone course we will work with students and staff at the "I Have a Dream" Foundation - Oregon. The foundation provides supportive services and enrichment programs for "Dreamers" to help them graduate from high school and pursue either college or vocational education. Please visit http://www.ihaveadreamoregon.org for information about the organization.
This year, capstone students will tutor 6th-grade Dreamers at Rigler School in NE Portland. In addition, student workgroups will design and conduct projects to support the foundation's efforts. Previous projects have included theme-based enrichment activities, a "Field Day" event, survey research, and life-skills workshops.
Students are required to spend at least 2 hours per week at Rigler School during their scheduled programming hours. You may choose any one day (Monday - Thursday) from 3:00-5:15 pm (preferable). If necessary, you can choose from 3:00-4:00 pm or 3:45-5:15 pm on any two days. A background check will be conducted as required by Portland Public Schools.
Instructor approval is required to enroll in the course. Once you've decided which days and hours you will conduct your service work at Rigler School, please email me at holdtc@pdx.edu for enrollment approval.
As a general rule, students should expect to spend about 12-18 hours per week doing coursework outside the classroom, including academic, project, and service work. The time commitment will vary a great deal throughout the various phases of our projects. Some weeks may require significantly fewer hours, some may require more.
All phases of our class project, from brainstorming through execution, will be a team effort and your presence and participation is therefore required. The success of the project depends on each team member's commitment and active participation.
