Reflections from the ACTION Director
by Dr. Daniel Brahier
This past spring, for the first time, ACTION conducted a Day of Service in the community. Three different activities were offered for our scholars, and participation was optional. The day was such an overwhelming success that the Student Advisory Board felt strongly that we should offer two Days of Service per year – one in the Fall and one in the Spring – asking all of our scholars to volunteer their time. They sensed a strong desire on the part of our students to give back to the community.
On Tuesday, November 19, we hosted a Day of Service for all ACTION scholars. Nearly 100 students went out to eight different sites in the Bowling Green area to volunteer their time and efforts. Students cleaned buildings, stuffed envelopes, stocked food in a local food pantry, and organized donated materials for distribution, among other projects. The response from community members was incredibly positive, as they not only thanked our scholars for their time and work but also told us that it helped them to appreciate how much young people are willing to contribute to their community. We look forward to hosting another Day of Service in April 2020. I would like to thank the ACTION staff and the student leaders who organized the volunteers at each of the sites.
Last fall, as part of the 10
th
Anniversary celebration for ACTION, we conducted research on the impact the program is having on campus and in the local community. We discovered that all ACTION scholars were involved in at least some form of leadership or volunteering role. We had multiple students serving as officers of organizations, teaching at the Math Emporium, serving as Academic Peer Mentors, leading athletic teams, assisting in labs, tutoring at the Learning Commons, serving as Residence Advisors, working as Student Instructors, and participating in numerous activities from volunteering at STEM in the Park to leading music groups and organizing a Relay for Life team. ACTION scholars take community involvement and leadership seriously, and their work in these areas help them to be the well-rounded future teachers that administrators seek in their schools. We are proud of their efforts and applaud them for all they do beyond the classroom.
As we approach the end of the semester and the holiday season, I would like to thank the students, their families, BGSU faculty and administration, Choose Ohio First, the ACTION staff, and all who support and promote what is truly a signature program for the College of Education and Human Development and BGSU. We look forward to serving you in the New Year, as we will be welcoming Cohort 12 to campus in July 2020.
