The Greater Gainesville Chamber partnered with Keira Simmonds, Executive Director and Founder of LYFEhouse Inc., to pilot reThink Service, a 12-week virtual fellowship program for tenth graders who are passionate about serving their community. The Youth Fellows will have an opportunity to design their very own community service project and lead their peers to improve the communities in which they reside. We want to take this time to introduce to you our mentors and students participating in our reThink Service Fellowship.
You can support each of the student’s service project here.
ReThink Service, Youth Service Day Fellowship will take place in the City of Alachua and Hawthorne. The Fellows will implement their service project during Global Youth Service Days, Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 25th. The students were mentored by Jourdain Cole, Family, Youth, and Community Sciences senior with a minor in Communications at the University of Florida, and Jazmin Edwards, Family, Youth & Community Sciences with a minor in Disabilities in Society at the University of Florida.
Alisha from Santa Fe High School project “Pot a Plant,” with supplies donated by Lowes and Home Depot in the City of Alachua, will host a fun, safe, and educational morning for kids in her community. She hopes that this event will foster connection and create a space where children can express themselves.
Siaderiel from Hawthorne Middle/High School project “Mental Health Awareness,” will raise awareness of the widespread issue of mental health in teenagers and supply funds to a local organization that is a resource to students who need help.
Ash and Liadin, also from Hawthorne Middle/High School, hope to bring awareness and work to decrease the number of stray animals in their community. All donations will be used to provide medical attention, buy food and toys and, provide the homeless animals the love they need and deserve.
ReThink Service’s fellowship program combines “Youth Service America” service project toolkit, John Maxwell leadership curriculum, UCLA’s Social Change Leadership framework to develop student’s leadership capacity and empower them to be community change agents. The Fellows will implement their service project during Global Youth Service Days, Friday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 25th.
