We Serve to Learn

1. We Serve to Learn

2. Appalachian Scholars • Merit and need based Scholarship Program established in 2006 • Scholars must reside in the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio • Athens and Regional campus involvement • Scholarly Roundtables • Community Service • First Class of Appalachian Scholars graduates on June 12, 2010

3. Rural Action Is: • A community development organization • Central dream – building sustainable communities in Appalachian Ohio • Model sustainable development projects + broad civic conversations around our region’s assets  paths for sustainable development

4. About Rural Action • Mission: foster social, economic, & environmental justice in Appalachian Ohio. • Vision: a region of clean streams, healthy forests, thriving family farms, meaningful jobs for everyone, lively towns that celebrate their stories, and people working together to make this vision a reality.

5. About Rural Action • Values: • We understand that the health of our region depends on building sustainable communities. • We believe each person can make a difference. • We are interwoven with the Earth, its systems, and its biosphere.

6. 3 Categories of Work • Environmental Restoration • Asset Building & Green Enterprises • Leadership and Democratic Systems

7. Rural Action Strategies • Restore region’s land and water • Incubate asset-based projects • Till the social soil of our region for creativity • Invest in cooperative, green businesses • Support networks • Set tables for discussion • Operate intentionally in policy and advocacy • Write the alternative narrative

8. Rural Action Today Active work: • Sustainable agriculture • Sustainable forestry • Watershed restoration • Youth leadership • Energy • Communications & Development 4 offices: • Trimble, Glouster, New Straitsville, Mineral City • 11 staff members, 11 VISTA members, 1 work study

9. Why Service Learning Projects? • Academic and intellectual benefits • Civic and ethical benefits • Social and personal benefits

10. Service Learning differs from community service & internships by: • Uses service activities as the vehicle for the attainment of educational goals and objectives. • Service-learning provides learners with opportunities to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situations. • Learners perform a valuable, significant and necessary service which has a positive affect in the community. • Goal of the service is to empower learenrs and those being served • Needs of the community dictate the service being provided

11. Characteristics of Service-Learning • Experiences are positive, meaningful and real to the participants. • Learning is a cooperative rather than a competitive experience • Addresses complex problems in complex settings • Offer opportunities to engage in critical thinking/problem-solving activities

12. Characteristics of Service-Learning • Service reinforces learning, learning reinforces service • Provides structured time to reflect on service and learning experiences • Promotes deeper learning because the results are immediate and uncontrived • Fosters the development of educational "intangibles"- empathy, values & beliefs, self-esteem and social-responsibility

13. Rural Action’s Youth Act • Community based leadership program - helps young people carry out projects that make positive changes in their communities • After school programs: • Youth Art on High Street, land labs • Summer programs: • Watershed day camps, organic gardening • Career exploration & mentoring

14. Future Women of Appalachia • Mentoring program for local middle and high school girls • Promote a positive self-image • Help to develop positive coping methods to deal with life’s challenges • Offer tutoring, especially with STEM classes, to support the academic develop of future leaders of Appalachia

15. Rural Action’s Sustainable Forestry Working for healthy forests through innovative projects that generate income and encourage land stewardship • Increase economic opportunities for landowners • Improve land management • Current programming: • Carbon trading • Ohio Forestry Co-op • Non-timber forest products • Biomass

16. Rural Action’s Watershed Restoration • Improve water quality • Engage environmental stewardship • Connect restoration with community development • 4 groups: • Monday Creek Restoration Project • Sunday Creek Watershed Group • Huff Run Watershed Restoration Partnership • Federal Valley Watershed Group

17. OU Volunteer Service Corp • Identify, organize and lead quarterly service projects • Recruit fellow Ohio University students to provide service to the communities in Southeast Ohio • Expose students to issues that affect local communities • Learn how to develop grass-root initiatives • Bridge the gap between campus and community

18. Rural Action’s Energy Committee • Meets every six weeks to: • Educate on energy issues and climate change • Find practical ways to reduce carbon emissions • Help families and businesses ‘green up’

19. Home Energy Retrofits • Develop a corps of students, faculty and community members to help improve the living conditions of community members • Perform energy audits to identify needs and areas for improvement • Gather the resources necessary to make the home improvements • Provide the direct service of home improvement

20. Conclusion “In the coming years, Rural Action will foster involvement in policy work on issues that care for people and our ecosystems, intensify our sustainable economic development work, and educate each other on restoration practices. Because community is our core, we will continue setting bigger tables so people from many backgrounds and perspectives can meet and talk about the things they care about. Because community rests in the hands of our young people, we will continue helping them become leaders.” Michelle Decker, Executive Director –Rural Action