We know Honors students have interests and talents which extend beyond the boundaries of classes and campus. Honors is here to support you in any way we can, and to connect you with one another so that you can share and expand on those interests.
So we’ve been thinking of starting a “blog roll” on our web site to feature all the great work being done by Honors students. If you have a blog, web site, or even an online Portfolio of work that you regularly update and you’d like some free pub, please send the URL to us via email: honors@syr.edu
If we get enough of a response, we’ll start this blog roll rolling! If not, we’ll find another way to give you bloggers some good publicity. So either way, send along your link!
Welcome to a new feature of the Honors Blog! We will be publishing profiles of Honors students and their amazing community service work each week. Weekly is the plan….but there are so many students and projects worth telling you about, you may hear from us more often! If you would like to spread the word about your organization and the work you do, contact us at Honors. We want to tell the world about the great things you do.
Alec Hembree is our first student to be featured. Alec worked at the Revolutions Community Bike Shop in Memphis, a charitable organization that is dedicated to providing residents of Memphis with bikes that work well. Their mission, they say, is to “save the world, one bike at a time.”
Alec wrote about his civic engagement experience, explaining the impact it had on him:
“Working at Revolutions has brought me closer than anything to the transportation issues faced by the poor populations of Memphis and the powerful effect that a large, supportive bicycling community can have on these issues. Revolutions has allowed me to bring my own mechanical expertise and love for cycling into this community so that I may contribute to solving the transportation and fitness needs of people of all economic and social status. Through this experience I have become engaged with, not just a part of, a large community at the forefront of Memphis’ city growth. In the future, my experience at Revolutions will help me determine how I can best apply my knowledge and experience to the benefit of any organization or community.”
If you’d like to connect with a similar organization here in Syracuse, check out Bikes for Peace.
Revolutions Community Bike Shop, teaching the world to rollThis is how we roll!
Would you like to work with high school students in the Syracuse City School Distract who have emigrated to the United States in many cases escaping severe political repression, poverty, and civil rights injustices? If this sounds like a challenge you would like to take on, then you need to check out the International Young Scholars Program coordinated through the Office of Engagement Programs located in Hendricks Chapel.
Many Honors students have taken part in this program, working with the same student for as long as four years, watching them grow, mature and graduate. It’s not only a fulfilling and very worthy project, it will also help you fulfill your global experience requirement for Honors!
No experience is necessary — mentors need only come with patience and a desire to help students succeed! Interested? Please contact us at iys@syr.edu
Help is at hand if you need support finding and arranging civic engagement projects. This blog is of course a great resource of information, and you can always stop by my office to discuss your civic engagement passions, confusions and aspirations.
Here are two additional on-campus places to explore:
The Shaw Center for Public and Community Service is located in the Schine Student Center (right across from Career Services), and can put you in touch with many service opportunities throughout the city. The Shaw Center even has a van and can help transport you if you need it. Stop in and fill out their volunteer interest form and get to know these helpful people.
Visit the basement of Hendricks Chapel to find the Office of Engagement Programs. There is a wealth of activity emminating out of this dynamic office including the International Young Scholars program which you can read more about in another blog post. Stop by to learn more and connect in.
Many of our horses are retired Standardbred racehorses, but we also welcome horses of other breeds into our program. Most of the retired Standardbreds come to us because they lacked the desire or skill to be successful on the track. Occasionally they have just become too old to race, or have an injury that prohibits further racing. Many of the horses are used to being driven, and adapt well to light carts and carriages. Most of them readily learn to accept a saddle and rider. We work with them to help them accept their new lives, and try our best to match each one’s unique qualities to the needs of a potential adopter.
Friday, September 14th, 9am-4pm
Target neighborhoods: Syracuse’s Southside and Near Westside
Yet another excellent civic enagement project that is a one day event:
When I worked with Syracuse’s low income credit union, Home HeadQuarters was responsive and responsible to the needs of low income homeowners and want-to-be homeowners. I’d love to see Honors students involved in this event. Like if you might go!
