Virginia State University (VSU) is working with Southside Community Partners to establish a Student Ambassador program as part of VSU President Miller's Building a Better World initiative. Funded by The Cameron Foundation, this program will encourage and educate students about the importance of community services through one-day, weekend and on-going service-learning partnerships with community-based organizations.

1. Student-Community
Engagement Info
Session
Presented by:
Virginia State University &
Southside Community Partners

3. Serving those who Serve our
Community
Helping community
stakeholders to
connect, discover, &
engage with resources
and people so they can
more effectively deliver
programs and activities
that improve the quality
of life for residents in
Southside VA.

4. Connect to Students
www.ConnectSouthside.org

5. Grant Details
O Community service as central focus of VSU
outreach mission
O 16 student ambassadors with various
majors, classifications, backgrounds will work
with agencies in The Cameron Foundation
service area in a two semesters terms
• Supervised by Community Outreach
Coordinator and Community Service
Committee of faculty and staff
• Students will work, one day, weekend and on-
going projects

6. Grant Details cont.
O Students will have the opportunity to be
mentored by various non-profit leaders
O Student ambassadors will encourage and
educate all students on campus about the
importance of community service
O Demonstrate to community based
organizations the benefit of partnering
with VSU

7. Project Goals to Address:
O High poverty rates
O High drop out rates
O Low high school
persistence rates
O Low 4 year high
school graduation
rates
O Connecting VSU
students and staff to
community based
providers

8. Objectives
• Address the immediate needs of citizens with
compassion in a way that empowers citizens
• Develop life-long commitment to volunteering in
African American college graduates and possible
commitment to living and working in the Cameron
Foundation servicing area.
• Create a relationship where area pre-college
students model VSU student and aspire to seek a
college education
• Fostering communication, cooperation and
coordination among service providers and VSU
students to build healthy relations
• Empower citizens by working hand in hand with
VSU students on community service projects

9. Trojan Ambassadors for
Community Togetherness
(TACT)
O Purpose
O To make an impact
in the tri-cities
area, and learn
from those we are
helping; to carry
our lessons with us
and apply them to
our future
endeavors.

10. Mission
O Mission: To Identify, To Form, To
Develop, and to Document
O Identify: We identify non-profit organizations and
assist with their current plan of action. i.e
programs, activities
O Form: We form a relationship with the staff and
their targeted community.
O Develop: We develop a strategy where T.A.C.T
members can use their specialized skills to further
advance the current efforts of the organization.
O Document: We document what we have
learned/acquired in order to fulfill our purpose.

11. Values & Passion
O VALUES: We value being hospitable and
diverse, as well as having
passion, integrity, and working as a team.
O The core values of T.A.C.T serve as a
catalyst for our actions and overall
fulfillment of our purpose.
O Passion: Each member of T.A.C.T is
driven and dedicated to carrying out our
services in the tri-cities area.

12. Defining our Work
O Community Service
-Collaborations with
local non-
profit, governmental
and community
based organizations
designed to
improve the quality
of life for the
community and
residents.

13. Defining our Work cont.
O Service Learning - A method of teaching
that combines formal instruction with a
related service in the community.
O Servant Leader - Someone who is a
servant first, who has responsibility to be in
the world, and so he or she contributes to
the well-being of people and the
community

16. Student Learning Objectives
• Gain better understanding of and appreciation of
service learning and community service.
• Become more knowledgeable about the Cameron
Foundation service area and become aware of
prominent issues facing the region
• Enhance the ability to see the issues through a
variety of lenses and formulate perspectives that
incorporate those lenses
• Develop a greater understanding of themselves
and how to apply knowledge gained in their
engagement activities
• Be inspired for deeper engagement and service to
the region

17. Call to Action
• Work with non-profit and
community based
organizations to support
their mission
• Expose students to the
good work that is being
done in the community
• Keep our talented students
here in the community
• Work side by side with
residents
• Serve as positive role
models for students in our
community

18. Contact Information
Rebecca Eisenman Rudi Jackson
Southside Community Virginia State University –
Partners Dept. of Students
reisenman@scpartners.o Services
rg rjackson@vsu.edu
804.458.6329 x 2013 804.524.5595