In February, Student Resource Center AmeriCorps members attended a Winter Retreat hosted by Ohio Campus Compact. AmeriCorps members spent the day networking, receiving training and professional development skills, participating in Service Speaks sessions, and preparing for a project to celebrate AmeriCorps week.

Members began the day with a training on restorative practices. This training shared ways to minimize harm and move forward from harmful situations. Members discussed being open minded to others’ truths, learning from others’ experiences, communicating in tough situations, and assuming positive intent while recognizing unintended impact.

Restorative practices led into the first Service Speaks session of the day, covering Bertolt Brecht’s, “A Bed For The Night” and later a session where members discussed an excerpt of “Helping, Fixing, or Serving?” by Rachel Naomi Remen. Both pieces focused on service and making a difference in the world. Through Service Speaks dialogues participants have the opportunity to reflect and engage in conversations that build connections and deeper understanding.

OCC Executive Director, Stephanie Dodd, led a Grants Writing 101 session for members to help support their fundraising efforts as a part of their service and to build new skills. In this training, members learned the basic structure of writing a grant, tips for writing each section of a grant, and looked at examples of grant requests that have been written and awarded.

To end the day, members organized hygiene products for 1,800 care-kits that will be distributed on  campuses throughout the state during AmeriCorps Week, March 10-16. Members divided supplies by campus and took them back to their SRCs to assemble and distribute. Each of the 10 campuses with SRCs will receive 180 care-kits containing approximately 10 hygiene products to distribute to students in need thanks to a grant Ohio Campus Compact received from ServeOhio.

Written by: Hannah Eckard, Program Coordinator, Ohio Campus Compact

If your campus or organization is interested in hosting AmeriCorps member(s), please reach out to Stephanie Dodd to learn more!