Center for Civic Learning and Community Engagement at Mount Wachusett Community College News

Agenda for The Democracy Commitment Northeast Regional Meeting Available

Fagan Forhan — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:22:16 GMT

The final agenda for The Democracy Commitment Northeast Regional Meeting, being held at Mount Wachusett Community College on Tuesday, November 15, 2011 from 9 AM - 3 PM, is now available.

We have extended registration through Thursday, November 10th at 4 PM for the few remaining seats. You may register through our events link, or by contacting Fagan Forhan via email or at 978-630-9595.

VIEW 11/15 AGENDA

REGISTER TO ATTEND

Gardner City Council Candidate Debate Re-Broadcast Schedule

Heather Daly — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:03:23 GMT

Debates recently co-hosted by Mount Wachusett Community College and the Gardner News between candidates for Gardner City Council seats will be re-broadcast on Gardner Educational Television at the following times:

Councilor At Large Ward Councilor

10/31       7PM                         2PM
11/1        11AM                        5PM
11/2        2PM                          8PM
11/3        5PM                          NOON
11/4        8PM                          3PM
11/5        NOON                       6PM
11/6        3PM                          9PM

AmeriCorps Applications Now Available for Academic Year 2011-2012!

Caela Provost — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:44:27 GMT

The AmeriCorps Job Ready Program is now accepting applications for the 2011-2012 Academic Year. For the printable PDF version of the application, please follow THIS LINK

We look forward to receiving your application!

How would you spend $10,000 to benefit our community?

Fagan Forhan — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:54:08 GMT

UP to 20 students will have the opportunity to participate in "Future Philanthropists", a 21-hour service opportunity made possible through a grant from the Highland Street Foundation. From March 11th through April 30th, students will conduct an environmental scan, determine areas of need to target, write and issue a Request for Proposals, review submitted proposals, and determine where $10,000 in grant funding will be allocated.

The project will take place on Fridays, beginning March 11th through April 30th from 10-2 (no meeting on Friday, March 18th). At the Annual Service Learning Celebration on Monday, May 2nd, students will present their awards to representatives from organizations they've selected for funding.

Students must commit to all six weeks of meetings, and must actively participate. Interested in finding out more? Contact Fagan Forhan in room 279 or at 978-630-9595.

This opportunity can be used to fulfill a Service Learning requirement with instructor approval.

Thank You to Our "Assess, Learn, & Grow" Conference Attendees

Sarah McMaster — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:37:14 GMT

The Institute's latest conference was a big success this past September 29th. We had a great crowd for our half-day workshop style event on what turned out to be a gorgeous sunny day.

The networking session may have been the big hit, with network bingo players and winners alike having a great experience and making new connection at the same time.

Our concurrent Grant Writing and Fund Raising sessions were well received and the feedback on the evaluations proved that these two topics are always in-demand.

Enterprise Bank generously sponsored all the food for the day, which included a light breakfast and a delicious box lunch, both prepared by the Chocksett Inn in Sterling.

We love putting on these events and they would not be possible without the support of the Compassion Capital Fund through the Administration for Children and Families.

Thank you to all who attended!

Our 2010 Nonprofit Needs Assessment is complete!

Sarah McMaster — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:29:41 GMT

Thank you to each and every one of you who took the time to complete our 2010 needs assessment survey. We are compiling the results and hearing your concerns. The response was great and we are gaining a greater understanding of your challenges and concerns as we read every response.

The "Thank You" event, our Assess, Learn, & Grow Conference, is scheduled for September 29, 2010. We will be sending out email invitations very shortly to the eligible responders. Keep your eye on your inbox!

The 2010 Nonprofit Needs Assessment is now online!

Sarah McMaster — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:36:18 GMT

Are you a nonprofit in the North Central region?

Do you need the services a nonprofit resource center would provide?

Are you interested in a FREE half-day conference featuring networking, fund raising, and grant review sessions?

Take the 2010 Needs Assessment Survey and become eligible for our first-come first-serve conference as a THANK YOU. More information and the survey link are here: http://www.mwccconnects.us/fall-conference

AmeriCorps Job Ready Member Applications Available!

Fagan Forhan — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:16:41 GMT

The application to become an AmeriCorps Job Ready Member are now available on our website in two different forms. One can be printed out and mailed to us; the other can be filled out electronically and submitted via email. Either way, applications are due to us by NOON on FRIDAY, AUGUST 6th. Additional details and the application/reference form can be found at:

www.mwccconnects.us/americorpsjobready

AmeriCorps Job Ready Program

Sarah McMaster — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:55:22 GMT

Contact: Janice O’Connor Matthew J. Bruun

MWCC Director of Public Relations FSC Director of Public Relations

(978) 630-9547 (978) 665-4694

(508) 713-3802 mbruun@fsc.edu

joconnor@mwcc.mass.edu

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

MWCC, FSC Receive AmeriCorps Grant to Address Joblessness

GARDNER – Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State College have been awarded a three-year, $585,000 AmeriCorps grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to address joblessness and job preparedness in north central Massachusetts in a unified regional approach.

The award is among the first of 329 made nationally under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to help improve lives and strengthen communities throughout the country.

The colleges will receive an allocation, of $195,000 each year to fund the AmeriCorps Job Ready Project, which will place 15 full-time AmeriCorps members at 12 community sites throughout the region to increase career awareness, job readiness and career exploration skills of north central Massachusetts residents. The project will address the region’s high unemployment rate through job preparedness and career exploration activities designed to assist three distinct target populations: high school and middle school students; college students and alumni; and the economically disadvantaged unemployed, those who are underemployed, and dislocated workers.

Through MWCC’s Institute for Nonprofit Development, an inventory of community needs was conducted in 2009, with joblessness and job preparedness being identified as the region’s primary need. MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino and Fitchburg State College President Robert V. Antonucci had the vision to provide a concerted and collaborative effort to address this problem through the colleges’ respective civic engagement centers.

“For years, the north central region of Massachusetts has struggled with high unemployment and underemployment rates. The AmeriCorps Job Ready Program is a concerted effort on the part of Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State College to address a very real issue in our region,” said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. “The collective energies of 15 full-time AmeriCorps members across our region over the next three years will undoubtedly create a ripple effect in terms of the preparedness of area youth and unemployed to access and prepare for the workforce. We are truly pleased to be able to offer this incredible resource, through our Center for Democracy & Humanity and in partnership with Fitchburg State College, to make a tangible difference in the north central Massachusetts region.”

“The Douglas and Isabella Crocker Center for Civic Engagement is an ideal venue for Fitchburg State College to address these community concerns,” said Fitchburg State College President Robert V. Antonucci. “This project is a meaningful collaboration that will have a real impact on our communities.”

The colleges are in the process of recruiting 15 area residents to work as AmeriCorps members who will be responsible for training and preparing youth, the unemployed and the underemployed with 21^st century job skills. Through the grant, the AmeriCorps members will receive a stipend for the full-time positions. Applications for the positions are due by noon on Aug. 6.

Two AmeriCorps members, serving as leaders, will be placed at MWCC and FSC to develop and implement volunteer and service learning projects focused on job preparedness. Thirteen additional members will be placed in the community through a competitive selection process. Each member will provide 1,700 hours of service, for a total of 25,500 hours of service each year.

The AmeriCorps members will be responsible for a variety of duties, including developing and coordinating volunteer and service learning projects related to job preparedness and career exploration; developing, implementing and conducting trainings on careers and their educational requirements, resume writing, networking, interviewing and job search skills; providing one-on-one resume assistance; leading career field trips; coordinating job shadowing, internship and mock-interview experiences; as well as coordinating and expanding existing job and career fairs.

All members will receive an orientation, participate in a weekly seminar on job preparedness and civic engagement led by FSC Professor John Chetro-Szivos, and receive one-on-one and group coaching by project staff. Members have the option of taking the weekly seminar for credit at Fitchburg State toward the newly offered graduate certificate of civic engagement.

Individuals interested in applying to become an AmeriCorps member or staff support for this program are encouraged to contact Fagan Forhan, director of the Center for Democracy and Humanity at Mount Wachusett Community College, at (978) 630-9595 or fforhan@mwcc.mass.edu, or Dr. John Chetro-Szivos, Professor of Communication Media at Fitchburg State College at (978) 665-3261 or jchetro@fsc.edu. More information and application forms also can be found at www.mwccconnects.us/americorpsjobready

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Our New Look!

Sarah McMaster — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:36:41 GMT

I'm sure you've noticed our new look.

We've been hard at work retooling our website to better serve your needs and present the abundance of information we have in a clear, navigable format. To that end, our menu navigation has changed. Now, content is arranged by audience group.

Are you a nonprofit staffer? A MWCC instructor? A student volunteer? Now, there's a section devoted just to you and your interests!

Please take a look around and offer your feedback. We are making these changes to suit your needs, so we want to hear from you!

Pages and menu items may move around in the next few weeks as we fine tune these big changes. Check back often to see our progress.

2010 Nonprofit Needs Assessment Survey

Sarah McMaster — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:56:34 GMT

The Institute for Nonprofit Development has begun developing a comprehensive survey for the entire North Central Massachusetts nonprofit community.

We are creating an in-depth survey to assess the needs of our constituents and "take the pulse" of our community. From questions about help with organizational structure to fee-based services, we hope to find out what we can offer to continue our work in assisting nonprofit community-based and faith-based organizations to grow and serve the region.

Be on the lookout in your inbox and your mailbox for information on how to participate and make sure the needs of your organization are heard!

Please, excuse the dust as we improve our website to better serve you

Sarah McMaster — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:43:42 GMT

As you browse our website, you may notice things are changing. We've been working diligently to improve the organization of our website as well as the content and servcies we provide.

If you are looking for specific information or just can't find what you are looking for, please don't hesitate to contact us!

The Center for Democracy and Humanity launches its blog!

Sarah McMaster — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:26:59 GMT

We want to keep you "in the know" about what we're doing on campus and in the community. We look forward to posting news, success stories, and upcoming events here.

From service learning projects with students to management coaching with local nonprofit groups, we endeavor to serve the community and cultivate engagement through innovative programming and events.

Please check back often to stay connected with us!