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Posted 07/24/02
In the summer of 2001, a new program called Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) brought ninth graders from urban high schools in Boston and Philadelphia and from rural Canaan, N.H., to spend a week at Dartmouth learning valuable skills in leadership, scholarship and community service.
While a new group of ninth graders has just completed participation in the program this summer, SEAD II - an extension of SEAD - has brought most of last year's participants back to campus for another week, this time to develop and apply their individual skills toward service to others.
Twenty-six of the original 29 participants from last summer are attending the program, which began July 22 and runs through July 30. Their time will be divided between participating in community service projects in the Upper Valley, writing a research paper on leadership, and engaging in various "perspective shifting" activities, which include discussions with noted speakers. The SEAD program is a joint venture of Dartmouth's Tucker Foundation and the Education Department, and also receives assistance from Barnet Family Fund and a dozen different alumni organizations.
"The high rate of anticipated return this year speaks to the powerful learning experiences the students had and to the close relationships they developed with mentors and SEAD staff," said Andrew Garrod, Professor of Education and an Executive Director for SEAD.
Tucker Foundation Dean Stuart Lord, the program's other Executive Director, observed that SEAD II "offers students the opportunity to help another community meet its needs while also learning how to improve their own communities upon their return home."
"We felt strongly that we needed repeated contact with these students," added Jay Davis, a 1990 Dartmouth graduate and Instructor in Education, who is Program Director of both SEAD programs. "Having them back for another year allows us to further hone and develop skills they learned during their first SEAD summer."
This week SEAD II students will spend three days participating in a variety of community service projects. They will assist with construction as part of the Corps of Volunteers Effecting Repair (COVER) program, sew blankets as part of the Blankets for Bangladesh project, and serve as mentors during an outdoor trip to Storrs Pond for children in association with the Lebanon Housing Authority. Setting the foundation for these community services projects was a panel discussion with Upper Valley community members that explored issues of affordable housing, emergency relief efforts, community-based mentoring, and domestic violence prevention. Capstone community service experiences include "Introduction to Community Disasters" training with the Red Cross and a "Civic Engagement" forum with the New Hampshire chapter of City Year, a national service organization that unites diverse leaders, ages 17 to 24, for a year of service.
Lynn White Cloud, Assistant Dean and Director of Special programs at the Tucker Foundation, spearheaded the service portion of the program. "We want the students to have a variety of experiences - one that is very hands on, one that is more removed from their local community but has a global orientation, and one that helps each SEAD II student recognize that he or she can make a difference in another person's life, even if it is a one-time encounter. We would like them to feel empowered to effect positive change within themselves and the world."
Davis said the SEAD II students are beginning to plan a service project to be carried out in their own communities during the next school year. Through the Tucker Foundation, Davis hopes to send Dartmouth students to work with the SEAD II students in their communities this winter.
SEAD II participants will also prepare a research paper focused on heroes. They will make use of both live discussions and library research to complete the project. The research skills touch on another central tenet of the SEAD program: preparation for college.
"Learning to research well is a step toward understanding the kinds of challenges students face in college," said Mark Kissling '02, who is coordinating this portion of the program. "It's a perfect way to introduce students to concepts like utilizing sources, writing incisively, working independently and developing their own ideas."
Students will participate in a variety of activities designed to provoke discussion and thought about the world both within and outside their communities. Speakers include National Spoken Word (poetry) champion Roger Bonair-Agard, Hip Hop performer/instructor Clyde Evans and Dartmouth alumna and surgeon Dr. Lori Alvord.
More than 150 Dartmouth students will be volunteering this summer in both the SEAD and SEAD II programs. They are serving as mentors, activity leaders, residential advisors and teachers. Fifteen fraternities and sororities are providing meals to the students and a number of Dartmouth offices and local business have provided varied learning opportunities.
"SEAD relies extensively on the support of volunteers," said Davis. "Without the participation and assistance of the Dartmouth and Upper Valley communities, it could not happen."
Davis notes that plans are underway for SEAD III, which will bring participants back for a third summer, this time to focus on college preparing. Though plans are still tentative, Davis says that continued contact and support with SEAD participants will help them during the difficult transition from high school to college.
"Whether or not these students actually apply to Dartmouth - though we hope some do - we are committed to helping them succeed both in and beyond their high school careers."
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