Insidethisissue - aha Creative Ink

dents by encouraging students to
invest in and take ownership of
the Prescott community.
A transient culture underlies
the Prescott College student
body, but it is our desire that as
students work for positive
change in this community, they
will simultaneously harvest
strong feelings of empowerment
and commitment.
Involvement in the larger
Prescott community can
potentially demystify false conceptions
of Prescott College
students. We are all aware that
the community holds certain
preconceptions of us, which is
why we should accurately represent
and involve ourselves to
dispel the myth that we are
magic and underwater basketweaving
majors.
Theory is all well and good,
but what is the Ripple Project
really working on? Our first
efforts were directed at developing
a directory of local,
national, and global volunteer
opportunities for students. So
far, we have listings of more
than 70 local service-oriented
nonprofits ranging from work
with the homeless to environmental
stewardship to peace
activism.
The Ripple Project also has
sponsored student national and
international programs that are
longer-term projects. We hope
to place students in service
projects during the academic
year and during all of our
nonacademic breaks (e.g.,
spring break, student directed
days, and summer).
In our upcoming newsletter,
we will spotlight monthly service
projects and alternative
break projects. In addition, outstanding
student, faculty, and
organizational proponents of
service-learning will be highlighted
for their ongoing commitment
to civic engagement.
Now that we have a student
staff of four—Rob Brekke,
Devin Carberry, Constance
Hockaday, and Kaitlin Noss—
working with Student Activities
Coordinator Heather Houk—
we have expanded our efforts to
include four more facets.
The first is a student service
project showcase and community-wide
volunteerism fair
held Wednesday, Dec. 1. This
event brought students, faculty,
staff, and community leaders
together for an evening in celebration
of service and change.
This event was also a celebration
of World AIDS Day, offering
free AIDS testing and presentations
about the pandemic
of AIDS in Africa and around
the world.
The second phase is the
development of support structures
for service projects predicated
on an endowment that
will award scholarships to students
involved in service projects
and training workshops for
faculty and students.
Phase three is the implementation
of a service-learning,
campaign-based Prescott
College class in addition to supporting
faculty members in the
incorporation of service-learning
into their curriculum.
Last but not least, is our
creation of a Ripple Project
Who and what
is the Ripple Project?
Ripple Project
Director: Heather Houk
Coordinators: Rob Brekke, Devil Carberry, Constance
Hockaday, and Kaitlin Noss
Mission statement
The Ripple Project promotes stewardship projects in
Prescott College and the greater community through
engaging individual agency and offering the support and
resources necessary to actualize service-learning initiatives.
We endeavor to accomplish this mission through
publicizing community projects, fund-raising, and maintaining
a resource center that supplies information, contacts,
and stewardship opportunities locally, nationally,
and globally.
certification track that would
recognize students who have
completed a yet to be decided
number of volunteer hours—
an invaluable item to include
on a résumé.
Whatever your dreams of
change are, come see us in the
Student Union Building
Monday, Wednesday, or Friday
between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., so
that we can help you make
them a reality.
Fall 2004Transitions
Sam Hill is filled to capacity
with the Ripple Project
Showcase and communitywide
volunteerism fair.
Photo by Ann Haver-Allen
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