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Student Action with Farmworkers [4]
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Student Action with Farmworkers [4]
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Richard C. (Rick) Allen's Files
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FOIA Number: 2013-0661-F (2)
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office of Origin:
National Service
Series/Staff Member:
Rick Allen
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
2149
FolderID:
Folder Title:
Student Action with Farmworkers [4]
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Row:
Section:
Shelf:
Position:
S
66
2
2
2
application packets
Clinton Presidential Records
Digital Records Marker
This is not a presidential record. This is used as an administrative
marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff.
This marker identifies the place of a publication.
Publications have not been scanned in their entirety for the purpose
of digitization. To see the full publication please search online or
visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
"It would be impossible not to learn and grow from a summer experience like this.
My mind was opened up to so many new ideas and situations and I can feel the
differences in me and how I relate to other people. For the summer, I escaped the
reality of a college student and entered into an entirely different reality I had never
before known about--that of the farmworker community--where I witnessed the
incredible dignity and beauty that comprise the human spirit."
Jennifer Winston, Duke University, 1992 intern
Do something different this summer--something unusual, challenging,
meaningful, and fun: work with and learn from migrant and seasonal farmworkers
and their families in North and South Carolina through a ten-week experiential
learning internship and leadership development program.
This summer, you and other college students from a variety of backgrounds will
have an opportunity to work with farmworkers and promote greater respect and
justice for the hard-working people who supply food for our tables. You will
provide much needed skills, energy and time to organizations serving farmworkers
and will receive a life-changing educational experience in return.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY FARMWORKERS?
Each year, nearly 400,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents
labor in the fields of North and South Carolina. The needs of this predominantly
Latino and African American population, so often hidden from view, are
tremendous. Some of the facts:
Farmworkers are exempted from most workplace safety laws, although agriculture
is the most hazardous profession nationally.
Farmworkers suffer from a higher incidence of malnutrition and infectious
disease than any other subpopulation in the country.
The average income for a family of farmworkers is less than half the poverty line.
Many farmworkers are new immigrants with limited or no English ability who
are unable to access available resources.
Discrimination, job insecurity, inadequate housing, and a lack of transportation
are prevalent.
The above factors have largely prevented farmworkers in North and South Carolina
from organizing to advocate on their own behalf. Meanwhile, the organizations--
federal, state, local and private non-profit--which provide services to farmworkers
have been hard hit by budget cutbacks and are desperate for help. Farmworkers and
their advocates can benefit greatly from an increase in student awareness and
involvement.
331 W. MAIN ST., SUITE 511
DURHAM, NC 27701
(919) 687-0486
FAX (919) 687-0528
Clinton Presidential Records
Digital Records Marker
This is not a presidential record. This is used as an administrative
marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff.
This marker identifies the place of a publication.
Publications have not been scanned in their entirety for the purpose
of digitization. To see the full publication please search online or
visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
"It would be impossible not to learn and grow from a summer experience like this.
My mind was opened up to so many new ideas and situations and I can feel the
differences in me and how I relate to other people. For the summer, I escaped the
reality of a college student and entered into an entirely different reality I had never
before known about--that of the farmworker community--where I witnessed the
incredible dignity and beauty that comprise the human spirit."
Jennifer Winston, Duke University, 1992 intern
Do something different this summer--something unusual, challenging,
meaningful, and fun: work with and learn from migrant and seasonal farmworkers
and their families in North and South Carolina through a ten-week experiential
learning internship and leadership development program.
This summer, you and other college students from a variety of backgrounds will
have an opportunity to work with farmworkers and promote greater respect and
justice for the hard-working people who supply food for our tables. You will
provide much needed skills, energy and time to organizations serving farmworkers
and will receive a life-changing educational experience in return.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY FARMWORKERS?
Each year, nearly 400,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents
labor in the fields of North and South Carolina. The needs of this predominantly
Latino and African American population, so often hidden from view, are
tremendous. Some of the facts:
Farmworkers are exempted from most workplace safety laws, although agriculture
is the most hazardous profession nationally.
Farmworkers suffer from a higher incidence of malnutrition and infectious
disease than any other subpopulation in the country.
The average income for a family of farmworkers is less than half the poverty line.
Many farmworkers are new immigrants with limited or no English ability who
are unable to access available resources.
Discrimination, job insecurity, inadequate housing, and a lack of transportation
are prevalent.
The above factors have largely prevented farmworkers in North and South Carolina
from organizing to advocate on their own behalf. Meanwhile, the organizations--
federal, state, local and private non-profit--which provide services to farmworkers
have been hard hit by budget cutbacks and are desperate for help. Farmworkers and
their advocates can benefit greatly from an increase in student awareness and
involvement.
331 W. MAIN ST., SUITE 511
DURHAM, NC 27701
(919) 687-0486
FAX (919) 687-0528
Clinton Presidential Records
Digital Records Marker
This is not a presidential record. This is used as an administrative
marker by the William J. Clinton Presidential Library Staff.
This marker identifies the place of a publication.
Publications have not been scanned in their entirety for the purpose
of digitization. To see the full publication please search online or
visit the Clinton Presidential Library's Research Room.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
"It would be impossible not to learn and grow from a summer experience like this.
My mind was opened up to so many new ideas and situations and I can feel the
differences in me and how I relate to other people. For the summer, I escaped the
reality of a college student and entered into an entirely different reality I had never
before known about--that of the farmworker community--where I witnessed the
incredible dignity and beauty that comprise the human spirit."
Jennifer Winston, Duke University, 1992 intern
Do something different this summer--something unusual, challenging,
meaningful, and fun: work with and learn from migrant and seasonal farmworkers
and their families in North and South Carolina through a ten-week experiential
learning internship and leadership development program.
This summer, you and other college students from a variety of backgrounds will
have an opportunity to work with farmworkers and promote greater respect and
justice for the hard-working people who supply food for our tables. You will
provide much needed skills, energy and time to organizations serving farmworkers
and will receive a life-changing educational experience in return.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY FARMWORKERS?
Each year, nearly 400,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents
labor in the fields of North and South Carolina. The needs of this predominantly
Latino and African American population, so often hidden from view, are
tremendous. Some of the facts:
Farmworkers are exempted from most workplace safety laws, although agriculture
is the most hazardous profession nationally.
Farmworkers suffer from a higher incidence of malnutrition and infectious
disease than any other subpopulation in the country.
The average income for a family of farmworkers is less than half the poverty line.
Many farmworkers are new immigrants with limited or no English ability who
are unable to access available resources.
Discrimination, job insecurity, inadequate housing, and a lack of transportation
are prevalent.
The above factors have largely prevented farmworkers in North and South Carolina
from organizing to advocate on their own behalf. Meanwhile, the organizations--
federal, state, local and private non-profit--which provide services to farmworkers
have been hard hit by budget cutbacks and are desperate for help. Farmworkers and
their advocates can benefit greatly from an increase in student awareness and
involvement.
331 W. MAIN ST., SUITE 511
DURHAM, NC 27701
(919) 687-0486
FAX (919) 687-0528
I feel that I have learned so much
through all this and it is only the
beginning.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
- Catherine Stickler, student intern
The internship experience revealed
MISSION
to me a world I never knew about that
To improve the status of farmworkers in our society by
was right around the corner from me.
I learned more than I ever did in any
educating and involving college students in farmworker service,
job or any class.
advocacy and community groups.
- Melinda Bogardus, student intern
I think it's a great program. It hasn't
just been free labor; iťs been a very
I have never had such
active exchange of ideas and back-
grounds.
an enlightening and
incredible summer.
- Christine Alvarado, Director, Migrant
Head Start Center
The opportunity to
witness and learn
from the migrant
farmworker culture
Momphis
changed and shaped
my values and atti-
tudes.
- Eric Jones,
student intern
This program pro-
vides students with
hands-on experience
with people who
photo by Jeff Whetstone
really make a
difference: farm-
STUDENT
workers. Everyone
can benefit from it.
- Sharon Brown,
ACTION WITH
photo by Jeff Whetstone
farmworker
FARMWORKERS
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
WHAT IS
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
CLIP AND SEND
SAF?
GOALS
SAF Summer Internship Program
YES!
Twenty students will be selected to
Student Action with Farmworkers is
To provide farmworkers with
participate in a ten-week internship and
I want to be involved!
building a network of campus-based
greater access to services and
leadership training program. Students
projects focusing on farmworker issues,
programs through the support
will work with farmworkers in North and
Please send me more information
through summer internships and year-
of farmworker service agencies
South Carolina on a variety of projects,
and an application form for the SAF
round opportunities for direct service,
and community groups
primarily in the areas of health, law and
Summer Internship Program 1993.
community education, advocacy and
education, and will develop skills for
organizing work.
To increase interaction, commu-
initiating programs at their own campuses.
Please send me a list of SAF's
nication and understanding
available resource materials.
Student Action with Farmworkers
among persons of different cul-
Networking existing campus
serves: students, who need opportunities
tures
community service programs which work
Please contact me about setting up a
to develop quality service-learning
with farmworkers in order to share
Student Action with Farmworkers
projects; farmworkers, one of the hardest
To encourage student commit-
information and ideas.
program on my campus.
working yet most marginalized
ment to public service and so-
populations in our society; and agencies
cial action
Please send me information on how
and community groups serving
my organization can sponsor an
farmworkers, who need greater human
To help students build internships
intern.
resources to carry out their work.
and other volunteer projects
that will be mutually beneficial
I would like to make a tax-deductible
Student Action with Farmworkers
for students and farmworkers
contribution of:
developed out of a summer service-
$15 $25 $50 $ other to
learning internship program at Duke
To serve as a clearinghouse of
help make SAF's programs possible.
and the University of North Carolina in
information for student groups
which students work with farmworkers
on farmworker issues, agencies
and their families through health, legal,
and resources
Name
educational, and other programs. The
Address
internship program seeks to provide
To link student groups working with
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
support for farmworkers while promoting
farmworkers in order to share
thoughtful action for social change
their experiences and ideas
Intern Referral Service matches in-
Phone
through experiential education.
terested students with individual summer
School
or semester-long internship opportunities
Student Action with Farmworkers
at farmworker organizations.
Organization
works to expand student involvement
For more information:
with farmworkers through the
Carolyn Corrie
Technical assistance and resource
development of similiar campus-based
Student Action with Farmworkers
materials are available to schools
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
interested in developing new projects
Return to:
programs. In 1993, the focus of outreach
Durham, NC 27701
involving students with farmworkers.
Student Action with Farmworkers
will be in North and South Carolina.
919-687-0486
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
Durham, NC 27701
I feel that I have learned so much
through all this and it is only the
beginning.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
- Catherine Stickler, student intern
The internship experience revealed
MISSION
to me a world I never knew about that
To improve the status of farmworkers in our society by
was right around the corner from me.
educating and involving college students in farmworker service,
I learned more than I ever did in any
job or any class.
advocacy and community groups.
- Melinda Bogardus, student intern
I think it's a great program. It hasn't
just been free labor; it's been a very
I have never had such
active exchange of ideas and back-
an enlightening and
grounds.
incredible summer.
- Christine Alvarado, Director, Migrant
The opportunity to
Head Start Center
witness and learn
from the migrant
farmworker culture
Memphi
changed and shaped
my values and atti-
tudes.
- Eric Jones,
student intern
This program pro-
vides students with
hands-onexperience
with people who
photo by Jeff Whetstone
really make a
difference: farm-
STUDENT
workers. Everyone
can benefit from it.
- Sharon Brown,
ACTION WITH
photo by Jeff Whetstone
farmworker
FARMWORKERS
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
WHAT
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
CLIP AND SEND
SAF?
GOALS
SAF Summer Internship Program
YES!
Twenty students will be selected to
Student Action with Farmworkers is
To provide farmworkers with
participate in a ten-week internship and
I want to be involved!
building a network of campus-based
greater access to services and
leadership training program. Students
projects focusing on farmworker issues,
programs through the support
will work with farmworkers in North and
Please send me more information
through summer internships and year-
of farmworker service agencies
South Carolina on a variety of projects,
and an application form for the SAF
round opportunities for direct service,
and community groups
primarily in the areas of health, law and
Summer Internship Program 1993.
community education, advocacy and
education, and will develop skills for
organizing work.
To increase interaction, commu-
initiating programs at their own campuses.
Please send me a list of SAF's
nication and understanding
available resource materials.
Student Action with Farmworkers
among persons of different cul-
Networking existing campus
serves: students, who need opportunities
tures
community service programs which work
Please contact me about setting up a
to develop quality service-learning
with farmworkers in order to share
Student Action with Farmworkers
projects; farmworkers, one of the hardest
To encourage student commit-
information and ideas.
program on my campus.
working yet most marginalized
ment to public service and so-
populations in our society; and agencies
cial action
Please send me information on how
and community groups serving
my organization can sponsor an
farmworkers, who need greater human
To help students build internships
intern.
resources to carry out their work.
and other volunteer projects
that will be mutually beneficial
I would like to make a tax-deductible
Student Action with Farmworkers
for students and farmworkers
contribution of:
developed out of a summer service-
$15 $25 $50 $ other to
learning internship program at Duke
To serve as a clearinghouse of
help make SAF's programs possible.
and the University of North Carolina in
information for student groups
which students work with farmworkers
on farmworker issues, agencies
and their families through health, legal,
and resources
Name
educational, and other programs. The
Address
internship program seeks to provide
To link student groups working with
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
support for farmworkers while promoting
farmworkers in order to share
thoughtful action for social change
their experiences and ideas
Intern Referral Service matches in-
Phone
through experiential education.
terested students with individual summer
School
or semester-long internship opportunities
Student Action with Farmworkers
at farmworker organizations.
Organization
works to expand student involvement
For more information:
with farmworkers through the
Carolyn Corrie
Technical assistance and resource
development of similiar campus-based
Student Action with Farmworkers
materials are available to schools
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
interested in developing new projects
Return to:
programs. In 1993, the focus of outreach
Durham, NC 27701
involving students with farmworkers.
Student Action with Farmworkers
will be in North and South Carolina.
919-687-0486
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
Durham, NC 27701
I feel that I have learned so much
through all this and it is only the
beginning.
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
- Catherine Stickler, student intern
The internship experience revealed
MISSION
to me a world I never knew about that
To improve the status of farmworkers in our society by
was right around the corner from me.
I learned more than I ever did in any
educating and involving college students in farmworker service,
job or any class.
advocacy and community groups.
- Melinda Bogardus, student intern
I think it's a great program. It hasn't
just been free labor; it's been a very
I have never had such
active exchange of ideas and back-
an enlightening and
grounds.
incredible summer.
- Christine Alvarado, Director, Migrant
The opportunity to
Head Start Center
witness and learn
from the migrant
farmworker culture
Memphis
changed and shaped
my values and atti-
tudes.
- Eric Jones,
student intern
This program pro-
vides students with
hands-onexperience
with people who
photo by Jeff Whetstone
really make a
difference: farm-
STUDENT
workers. Everyone
can benefit from it.
- Sharon Brown,
ACTION WITH
photo by Jeff Whetstone
farmworker
FARMWORKERS
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
WHAT
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
CLIP AND SEND
SAF?
GOALS
SAF Summer Internship Program
YES!
Twenty students will be selected to
Student Action with Farmworkers is
To provide farmworkers with
I want to be involved!
participate in a ten-week internship and
building a network of campus-based
greater access to services and
leadership training program. Students
projects focusing on farmworker issues,
programs through the support
will work with farmworkers in North and
Please send me more information
through summer internships and year-
of farmworker service agencies
South Carolina on a variety of projects,
and an application form for the SAF
round opportunities for direct service,
and community groups
primarily in the areas of health, law and
Summer Internship Program 1993.
community education, advocacy and
education, and will develop skills for
organizing work.
To increase interaction, commu-
initiating programs at their own campuses.
Please send me a list of SAF's
nication and understanding
available resource materials.
Student Action with Farmworkers
among persons of different cul-
Networking existing campus
serves: students, who need opportunities
tures
community service programs which work
Please contact me about setting up a
to develop quality service-learning
with farmworkers in order to share
Student Action with Farmworkers
projects; farmworkers, one of the hardest
To encourage student commit-
information and ideas.
program on my campus.
working yet most marginalized
ment to public service and so-
populations in our society; and agencies
cial action
Please send me information on how
and community groups serving
my organization can sponsor an
farmworkers, who need greater human
To help students build internships
intern.
resources to carry out their work.
and other volunteer projects
that will be mutually beneficial
I would like to make a tax-deductible
Student Action with Farmworkers
for students and farmworkers
contribution of:
developed out of a summer service-
$15 $25 $50 $ other to
learning internship program at Duke
To serve as a clearinghouse of
help make SAF's programs possible.
and the University of North Carolina in
information for student groups
which students work with farmworkers
on farmworker issues, agencies
and their families through health, legal,
and resources
Name
educational, and other programs. The
Address
internship program seeks to provide
To link student groups working with
photo by Mark C. Wasmer
support for farmworkers while promoting
farmworkers in order to share
thoughtful action for social change
their experiences and ideas
Intern Referral Service matches in-
Phone
terested students with individual summer
through experiential education.
School
or semester-long internship opportunities
Student Action with Farmworkers
at farmworker organizations.
Organization
works to expand student involvement
For more information:
with farmworkers through the
Carolyn Corrie
Technical assistance and resource
Student Action with Farmworkers
development of similiar campus-based
materials are available to schools
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
interested in developing new projects
Return to:
programs. In 1993, the focus of outreach
Durham, NC 27701
involving students with farmworkers.
Student Action with Farmworkers
will be in North and South Carolina.
919-687-0486
331 W. Main St., Suite 511
Durham, NC 27701
SAF
3.9.93
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Dear Mr. Segal,
I faxed this material to Jina Sanone in
your office last week, but wanted to send I
some additional materials on to you.
think our innovative summer service-
learning internship program can be a
331 West Main St., Suite 511, Durham. NC 27701 Phone: 919-687-0486 Fax: 687-0528
CLINTON LIBRARY PHOTOCOPY
real model for national service plans
Hope its helpful! If you have folhs
contacting you who want to do sence
work this summer, please feel free to
refer them to me!
Thanks,
Carolyn Come
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
March 5, 1993
Mr. Eli J. Segal
Director
White House Office of National Service
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Rm 145 OEOB
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. Segal,
I can hardly contain my excitement as I write this letter in response to President
Clinton's speech on Monday at Rutgers University. It seems unreal, almost
unbelievable, that the federal government is actually going to be a driving force in
the national service movement. After working at the grassroots level for the past
five years to bring college students out into the community and strengthen their
commitments to working for social change, it is a welcome relief to finally have
support from Washington.
I have witnessed many times the powerful effects of service-learning programs.
These programs open the eyes and hearts of college students and connect them to
those living in poverty in ways which have long-term impacts on both groups of
people. These programs are critical to our country--not only in meeting serious
immediate human needs, but in building better relationships among Americans
from all walks of life.
I am a recent graduate of Duke University, where I worked for several summers in
service-learning internship programs. After spending a summer in eastern North
Carolina with migrant and seasonal farmworker families, I became committed to
trying to improve conditions for this hardworking yet terribly impoverished and
disenfranchised community. Surely we could inspire the energies of young people,
already involved with so many other issues (the environment, hunger,
homelessness, literacy), to join the fight for social justice for farmworkers. There are
so many fronts where work needs to be done, so many opportunities for young
people with varied skills, interests and backgrounds to make a real contribution.
For example, legal services programs need bilingual volunteers to translate and
educate workers on their legal rights. Health clinics need volunteers to provide
transportation to patients living in rural areas. Migrant education programs need
tutors and special subject teachers. Individual farmworkers need literacy and
English as a Second Language tutors. Migrant children need role models to
encourage them to stay in school.
A group of students, community agency staff and farmworkers joined together last
summer to create Students Action with Farmworkers (SAF), a non-profit
331 West Main St., Suite 511, Durham, NC 27701 Phone: 919-687-0486 Fax: 687-0528
organization dedicated to educating and involving college students in farmworker
service, advocacy and community organizing groups. Our first target for outreach
will be schools and farmworker communities in North and South Carolina,
although eventually we seek to become a national organization.
Last summer, 11 students from Duke University and the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill worked for ten weeks at various agencies serving
farmworker families. This summer, students from all over the country have been
invited to apply to our program to work in North and South Carolina. So far,
nearly 25 have accepted, from 10 different schools. Many others have called for
information about the program.
Our main limitation is our lack of funding and our inability to provide even a
living expense stipend for students. Students work to raise their own funding from
their campus and home communities, and many are successful in covering their
expenses. Others are not, and are unable to participate. Our ability to attract a truly
diverse group of participants, including those who come from a farmworker
background themselves, will remain limited until we are able to provide living
expense stipends and special assistance to students on financial aid.
I understand that the President seeks to place 1,000 students in service opportunities
this summer. Student Action with Farmworkers has placements available for at
least 50 students. We are planning an initial week-long orientation and training
session, an evaluation retreat at half-way point and a final retreat to continue
evaluation and training so students can return to their campuses and involve even
more young people in community service work with farmworkers. I feel confident
that we could recruit students for these placements if we were to have adequate
funding. It seems a perfect opportunity for SAF and the Office on National Service
to work together towards our mutual goal of providing students with service
opportunities this summer.
I have enclosed a brief overview of SAF and our Summer Internship and
Leadership Development Program. I would appreciate any further information you
have developed about the national service plan and particularly plans for this
summer. Please call me if you have any questions or suggestions for SAF's work
with students and farmworkers this summer. I can be reached at 919-687-0486 (w) or
919-382-8202 (h).
Thank you for your time and your dedication to involving America's youth in
service work which improves community life for all of us.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Come
Carolyn J. Corrie
on behalf of Student Action with Farmworkers
Proposal abstract
Student Action with Farmworkers
Durham
NC
Name of applicant organization
City
State
Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
Title of program
In the space below, briefly summarize the proposal including a description of the need for the program, how the pro-
gram seeks to meet that need, the funds required, and other essential information.
Farmworkers, their support agencies, and college students all have needs. In North
and South Carolina, nearly 60,000 migrant and 350,000 seasonal farmworkers and
their dependents, who are primarily Latino and African American, face
discrimination, language barriers, a lack of transportation and child care, health
problems, low wages, and poor living and working conditions. Organizations
which serve farmworkers have suffered from budget cuts and need extra help to
increase their effectiveness, particularly during peak seasons, but do not have
adequate means to contact and train interested students. Students need
opportunities for experiential learning which contributes to the community,
exposes them to people of different backgrounds and lifestyles, and increases their
commitment to life-long social action. However, many students are financially
unable to participate in summer internships because they must contribute to the
increasingly higher costs of their education.
Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) seeks to meet these diverse needs through
the ten-week Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program. We will
raise awareness on university campuses about farmworker issues through mailings,
presentations at conferences and campus visits. We will recruit thirty students from
schools in North and South Carolina to work with farmworkers through health,
legal and educational programs or on special projects. Students will first participate
in a week-long training and orientation session and then spend the remainder of
the summer at work sites in rural communities. Students will develop leadership
skills through group meetings and retreats and return to their campuses ready to
initiate local programs, thus reaching more students, community members, and
farmworkers through awareness events and service activities. SAF will continue to
offer support to these students and create a network among such programs through
a newsletter and other resources. Student Action with Farmworkers is an
educational program which benefits all involved: students, farmworkers and their
families, the organizations which serve farmworkers, university communities, and
society at large. Past participants in the program from Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill
agree it was one of the most important experiences of their college careers.
Total program costs are $64,045 to allow 30 students to participate, which includes
special stipend support for financially needy students. The average cost per intern is
$2,135. SAF respectfully requests $15,000 from the Cannon Foundation which will
allow seven students to participate in this unique educational program.
"It would be impossible not to learn and grow from a summer experience like this.
My mind was opened to so many new ideas and situations and I can feel the
differences in me and how I relate to other people. For the summer, I escaped the
reality of a college student and entered into an entirely different reality I had never
before known about--that of the farmworker community--where I witnessed the
incredible dignity and beauty that comprise the human spirit"
Jennifer Winston, Duke University, 1992 intern
Jennifer was able to have this life-changing experience through a unique summer
internship program which utilizes student resources and skills to meet pressing
human needs while at the same time sharpening students' leadership skills and
strengthening their commitments to working for long-term social change. Student
Action with Farmworkers invites the Cannon Foundation to become a partner in a
new program to make this type of experience available to many more students and
farmworkers across North Carolina and the nation.
Overview
Student Action with Farmworkers is a nonprofit organization created to improve
the status of farmworkers in our society by educating and involving college students
in farmworker service agencies and community groups. SAF seeks to build a
national network of campus-based projects focusing on farmworker issues. These
projects will include both summer internships and year-round opportunities for
volunteerism and community education. SAF strives to link two broad national
movements: the growing numbers of young people interested in performing public
service, and the various individuals and organizations seeking to improve
conditions for America's farmworkers. SAF will collaborate with many groups
within these networks in order to achieve this goal. While SAF will link and
support existing student volunteer programs from across the nation, the focus of
outreach during the first year will be on schools in North and South Carolina.
Student Action with Farmworkers respectfully requests $15,000 from the Cannon
Foundation, which will support the 1993 Summer Internship and Leadership
Development Program and will allow seven college students to participate in this
innovative summer internship program which addresses the needs of North and
South Carolina's migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
About SAF
Student Action with Farmworkers developed out of a service-learning internship
project sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University during
the past three summers. The project grew out of the interests of Dr. Robert Coles, a
psychiatrist, writer, professor, and long-time migrant advocate, in combining college
student service, migrant education, and documentary work. His ideas developed
into a plan for a summer internship project in which students from Duke would be
both classroom helpers and observers, documenting the existing conditions and
needs in the lives of migrant children. In the fall of 1989 the Migrant Children's
Education and Documentation Project was created with funding from the U.S.
Department of Education, and fourteen students were recruited to participate. The
two main goals of the internship project were: first, to try to understand the lives of
the migrant children and families who would be affected by government policy
decisions, and second, to explore the possibility of using college student volunteers
to improve migrant education.
When they arrived in eastern North Carolina, the public school program had been
shortened due to funding cuts, and the students searched for other ways to become
involved with farmworkers. They worked at a health clinic, legal services program,
through churches and individual tutoring projects. As they went to migrant camps
and accompanied families to social service agencies, they realized that there were
many more factors than just the classroom that affected the education of migrant
children. The issues were all intertwined. A parent's immigration status could
determine if a child attended school. Health problems could interfere with learning.
Low wages, unsteady work and lack of child care created an economic imperative for
children to work in the fields. It was clear that students could not only be an
important addition to a Head Start or public school program, but could assist
migrant families in many other ways. Through their documentary work--a book of
photographs, essays and poems, a photo and art exhibit, an oral history, and two
videos--the interns' experiences were brought to people in the broader community,
many of whom were unaware of the situations of farmworker families.
Students who have participated in the migrant internship program at Duke agree
that the experience was one of the most important in their college career, one they
carry with them as leave college and enter the working world. A group of
participants from the original Duke internship project, along with partners from a
new collaborative effort with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
North Carolina Central University, have now come together to create Student
Action with Farmworkers with the hope of bringing this successful program to
other campuses and farmworker communities.
The Needs
Each year, nearly 400,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents
labor in the fields of North and South Carolina. The needs of this predominantly
Latino and African American population, so often hidden from view, are
tremendous. Although agriculture is the most dangerous profession nationally,
farmworkers are exempted from many workplace safety laws. They suffer from a
higher incidence of malnutrition and infectious disease than any other
subpopulation in the country. Migrant children are frequently forced to drop out of
school to help support their families. The average income for a family of
farmworkers is less than half the poverty line. Many farmworkers are new
immigrants with limited or no English ability who are unable to access available
resources. Most live in isolated rural areas without transportation. Discrimination,
job insecurity, and inadequate housing add to the difficulties.
A preliminary survey, conducted in the fall of 1991, of organizations which work
with farmworkers in North Carolina, Florida and nationally, indicated tremendous
2
interest in involving more college students in their work. These organizations
have suffered from budget cuts and need extra help to increase their effectiveness,
but lack the means to contact and train interested students. Farmworkers and their
advocates could benefit greatly from an increase in student involvement.
All too often, a college student's education remains removed from the real world
and in particular lacks discussion and action on issues related to poverty and
injustice. Although there are increasing numbers of student volunteers, few work
with migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and experiential summer internships
which include group-building and leadership training remain uncommon.
Students need opportunities for service work which contributes to the community,
exposes them to people of different cultures and lifestyles, and increases their
commitment to life-long social action. Unfortunately, many students are unable to
participate in community service summer internships at all because they must
contribute to the increasingly higher costs of their education. Most students on
financial aid could not even consider such a program without some type of
scholarship assistance or living expense stipend. SAF hopes to provide such
support in order to increase our ability to recruit a diverse group of student interns.
The Response: The SAF Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
In 1993, SAF will respond to the needs of these various constituencies--students,
farmworkers, and farmworker agencies--through two main programs. SAF's board
and staff will provide assistance for a collaborative class and internship program for
students from Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC Central University. In
addition, we will plan and implement the SAF Summer Internship and Leadership
Development Program, a service-learning internship experience for up to thirty
students from schools across the country, although we will recruit most heavily
from North and South Carolina.
Program specifics
Student Action with Farmworkers will raise awareness on other university
campuses about farmworker issues and recruit a diverse group of interns through
presentations at conferences and campus visits and mailings. SAF will assist
students in personal fundraising efforts for a stipend to cover their basic living
expenses for the summer. Students on financial aid who would otherwise be
unable to participate will be eligible for direct financial assistance in the form of a
$1500 stipend.
Students will first participate in a week-long training and orientation session and
then spend the remainder of the summer in small groups at work sites in rural
communities in both North and South Carolina. Students will work in education,
health, legal services, or other programs to expand their capacities to reach migrant
and seasonal farmworkers and their families. In addition, new projects will be
developed according to the needs of the farmworker population in each area after
we consult with community organizations and farmworkers. For example, we plan
to create a College Connections project to reach out to farmworker youth and
encourage them to finish high school and continue on to higher education by
3
providing information about application processes and financial aid. Students will
document their experiences and will meet regularly for reflection and discussion.
Throughout the summer, students will develop leadership skills and return to their
campuses ready to initiate local volunteer programs, thus reaching more students,
community members, and farmworkers. SAF will continue to offer support to the
campus-based programs and create a network among such programs through a
newsletter and other resources.
Program Goals
to provide farmworkers and their families with greater access to existing services
and programs through students' work at various agencies and organizations
to utilize student resources to develop new projects, such as English as a Second
Language classes and college recruitment activities, which will respond
directly to the interests of the farmworker population
to help create a supportive environment for the efforts of farmworkers
themselves to improve their status in our society
to link college students and farmworkers in order to develop better
communication, understanding and support among people of different
cultures and backgrounds
to share and develop the skills and knowledge necessary for campus and
community organizing
to increase student commitment to public service work
to lay the foundation for a strong network of college student groups working with
farmworkers for greater social justice.
Program Outcomes
SAF's Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program is different from
most internships because the focus is on both providing service to members of a
community while at the same time providing structured opportunities for a group
of students to learn and grow from the experience. Above all, SAF is an educational
program in which "education" takes many forms.
Students, farmworkers, the organizations that serve farmworkers, the university,
and the society at large will all benefit from Student Action with Farmworkers. In
this mutually beneficial relationship, college students can assist farmworkers by
helping with transportation, serving as translators, teaching English, doing outreach
work with a health screening team, and providing extra teachers in a migrant Head
Start center or public school program. Farmworkers, in return, have much to teach
college students about a different way of life and the importance of work for social
justice. Students' experiences will be enhanced and their cultural understanding
increased when they meet farmworkers who come from other countries and
cultures, such as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The overburdened
and financially-strained organizations that work with farmworkers, such as Migrant
Head Start, health clinics, schools, and community-based groups, can benefit from
the energy and talents of student interns. In return, the staff of such organizations
can help students learn and encourage more young people to enter careers in public
service. The university benefits when students return to campus and share what
4
they have learned, encouraging others to join in community service. The society
benefits when migrant children receive a better education, when health care is
available to more farmworkers, when the rights of minority populations are better
protected, when people of different backgrounds and cultures interact and develop
greater respect for one another, and when students and farmworkers both move on
to socially responsible leadership roles.
Evaluation
The program will be evaluated by the student participants, the organizations which
sponsor interns, and the farmworkers involved in special projects. Each will
complete an evaluation form at the middle and end of the summer. The
evaluation will determine if and how: students are expanding organizations'
capacities to serve farmworkers, students are providing a means for new and
innovative programs, students are becoming more sensitive to this population and
more committed to working for social change. Some of the questions students will
come to grapple with are: What are the underlying causes for the continued
problems facing farmworkers? What changes can be made? What is my connection
to someone so seemingly different from myself? How can we break down the
barriers of race, religion, culture, class and gender that are so persistent? What role
can I play in making changes that will improve our society?
Fund Development
We will work to develop a strong financial base with support from various public
and private funders. SAF has been awarded a $10,000 challenge grant from the
Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Family Foundation, to be matched one-for-one.
We are pursuing other foundation, corporation, church, individual and federal
monies.
Staff
Carolyn Corrie, the director of Student Action with Farmworkers, was recently
awarded a Young Career Prize from the Lyndhurst Foundation in recognition of her
community service work. As an undergraduate at Duke University, she participated
in and helped to coordinate service-learning internship programs working with the
homeless, at-risk children, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. During her
senior year she wrote a history honors thesis on the problems of farmworkers in
North Carolina and reform efforts over the past thirty years. After graduation, she
completed the final report on the Center for Documentary Studies Migrant
Children's Education and Documentation Project and wrote a resource manual on
initiating student volunteer projects with farmworkers (see attached materials).
Through her work she has gained the necessary experience and has made contacts
within the student service network which will enable her to effectively carry out the
programs of Student Action with Farmworkers.
5
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Board of Directors
Christine Alvarado
David Thomas
Director
Outreach Worker
St. Martin's Migrant Head Start Center
Tri-County Community Health Center
Dunn, NC
Newton Grove, NC
Susan Brock
Ted Parrish
Migrant Specialist
Chair
N.C. Primary Health Care Association
Department of Health Education
Cary, NC
NC Central University
Durham, NC
Sharon Brown
Farmworker
Newton Grove, NC
Wachula, FL
Cathy Callahan, Treasurer
Founder
SOFA-UNC (Students Organized for
Farmworker Awareness)
Chapel Hill, NC
* Carolyn Corrie
Director
Student Action with Farmworkers
Durham, NC
Pam DiStefano, Chair
Attorney
Farmworkers Legal Services
Raleigh, NC
Newton Grove, NC
Kim Lawson, Secretary
Coordinator
SOFA-UNC
Chapel Hill, NC
*
Non-voting member
331 West Main St., Suite 511, Durham, NC 27701 Phone: 919-687-0486 Fax: 687-0528
Harvard University
University Health Services
TAS
75 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
December 13, 1992
To Whom it May Concern:
I recommend SAF (Student Action with Farmworkers) with all my
heart and soul - an extraordinary effort of morally energetic young college
people to connect with migrant farm families. I have been involved with
this initiative from its beginning and have been enormously impressed by
what it has come to be - a major achievement: children educated; families
brought in contact with health facilities; a range of other services made
available to needy, vulnerable workers and their sons and daughters. I know
of no rural "service" program run by college students that can match this one
for its thoughtful, dedicated, sensitive work with people as marginal as any in
our country.
Sincerely,
Robert Coles, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities
MAR 05 '93 03:37PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.1
FAX Cover Sheet
To: Jena Sanone
White House Office for National Service
Fax #: 202-456-6420
From: Carolyn Corrie
Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF)
Memo:
I've enclosed a letter to Eli Segal regarding our innovative
summer service-learning internship programs for college
students to work with migrant and seasonal farmworker
families. Liz Baumgarten at VA COOL gave me your name and
number as a good person to contact for more info. on the
national service plan.
Please call me when you get a chance to look over these
materials. I can be reached at 919-687-0486. Our fax number
is 919-687-0528.
Thank you!!
MAR 05 '93 03:37PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.2
SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
March 5, 1993
Mr. Eli J. Segal
Director
White House Office of National Service
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Rm 145 OEOB
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. Segal,
I can hardly contain my excitement as I write this letter in response to President
Clinton's speech on Monday at Rutgers University. It seems unreal, almost
unbelievable, that the federal government is actually going to be a driving force in
the national service movement. After working at the grassroots level for the past
five years to bring college students out into the community and strengthen their
commitments to working for social change, it is a welcome relief to finally have
support from Washington.
I have witnessed many times the powerful effects of service-learning programs.
These programs open the eyes and hearts of college students and connect them to
those living in poverty in ways which have long-term impacts on both groups of
people. These programs are critical to our country-not only in meeting serious
immediate human needs, but in building better relationships among Americans
from all walks of life.
1 am a recent graduate of Duke University, where I worked for several summers in
service-learning internship programs. After spending a summer in eastern North
Carolina with migrant and seasonal farmworker families, I became committed to
trying to improve conditions for this hardworking yet terribly impoverished and
disenfranchised community. Surely we could inspire the energies of young people,
already involved with so many other issues (the environment, hunger,
homelessness, literacy), to join the fight for social justice for farmworkers. There are
so many fronts where work needs to be done, so many opportunities for young
people with varied skills, interests and backgrounds to make a real contribution.
For example, legal services programs need bilingual volunteers to translate and
educate workers on their legal rights. Health clinics need volunteers to provide
transportation to patients living in rural areas. Migrant education programs need
tutors and special subject teachers. Individual farmworkers need literacy and
English as a Second Language tutors. Migrant children need role models to
encourage them to stay in school.
A group of students, community agency staff and farmworkers joined together last
summer to create Students Action with Farmworkers (SAF), a non-profit
331 West Main St., Suite 511, Durham. NC 27701 Phone: 919-687-0486 Fax: 687-0528
MAR 05 '93 03:38PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.3
organization dedicated to educating and involving college students in farmworker
service, advocacy and community organizing groups. Our first target for outreach
will be schools and farmworker communities in North and South Carolina,
although eventually we seek to become a national organization.
Last summer, 11 students from Duke University and the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill worked for ten weeks at various agencies serving
farmworker families. This summer, students from all over the country have been
invited to apply to our program to work in North and South Carolina. So far,
nearly 25 have accepted, from 10 different schools. Many others have called for
information about the program.
Our main limitation is our lack of funding and our inability to provide even a
living expense stipend for students. Students work to raise their own funding from
their campus and home communities, and many are successful in covering their
expenses. Others are not, and are unable to participate. Our ability to attract a truly
diverse group of participants, including those who come from a farmworker
background themselves, will remain limited until we are able to provide living
expense stipends and special assistance to students on financial aid.
I understand that the President seeks to place 1,000 students in service opportunities
this summer. Student Action with Farmworkers has placements available for at
least 50 students. We are planning an initial week-long orientation and training
session, an evaluation retreat at half-way point and a final retreat to continue
evaluation and training so students can return to their campuses and involve even
more young people in community service work with farmworkers. I feel confident
that we could recruit students for these placements if we were to have adequate
funding. It seems a perfect opportunity for SAF and the Office on National Service
to work together towards our mutual goal of providing students with service
opportunities this summer.
I have enclosed a brief overview of SAF and our Summer Internship and
Leadership Development Program. I would appreciate any further information you
have developed about the national service plan and particularly plans for this
summer. Please call me if you have any questions or suggestions for SAF's work
with students and farmworkers this summer. I can be reached at 919-687-0486 (w) or
919-382-8202 (h).
Thank you for your time and your dedication to involving America's youth in
service work which improves community life for all of us.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Come
Carolyn J. Corrie
on behalf of Student Action with Farmworkers
MAR 05 '93 03:38PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.4
Proposal abstract
Student Action with Farmworkers
Durham
NC
Name of applicant organization
City
State
Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
Title of program
In the space below, briefly summarize the proposal including a description of the need for the program, how the pro-
gram seeks to meet that need, the funds required, and other essential Information.
Farmworkers, their support agencies, and college students all have needs. In North
and South Carolina, nearly 60,000 migrant and 350,000 seasonal farmworkers and
their dependents, who are primarily Latino and African American, face
discrimination, language barriers, a lack of transportation and child care, health
problems, low wages, and poor living and working conditions. Organizations
which serve farmworkers have suffered from budget cuts and need extra help to
increase their effectiveness, particularly during peak seasons, but do not have
adequate means to contact and train interested students. Students need
opportunities for experiential learning which contributes to the community,
exposes them to people of different backgrounds and lifestyles, and increases their
commitment to life-long social action. However, many students are financially
unable to participate in summer internships because they must contribute to the
increasingly higher costs of their education.
Student Action with Farmworkers (SAF) seeks to meet these diverse needs through
the ten-week Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program. We will
raise awareness on university campuses about farmworker issues through mailings,
presentations at conferences and campus visits. We will recruit thirty students from
schools in North and South Carolina to work with farmworkers through health,
legal and educational programs or on special projects. Students will first participate
in a week-long training and orientation session and then spend the remainder of
the summer at work sites in rural communities. Students will develop leadership
skills through group meetings and retreats and return to their campuses ready to
initiate local programs, thus reaching more students, community members, and
farmworkers through awareness events and service activities. SAF will continue to
offer support to these students and create a network among such programs through
a newsletter and other resources. Student Action with Farmworkers is an
educational program which benefits all involved: students, farmworkers and their
families, the organizations which serve farmworkers, university communities, and
society at large. Past participants in the program from Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill
agree it was one of the most important experiences of their college careers.
Total program costs are $64,045 to allow 30 students to participate, which includes
special stipend support for financially needy students. The average cost per intern is
$2,135. SAF respectfully requests $15,000 from the Cannon Foundation which will
allow seven students to participate in this unique educational program.
MAR 05 '93 03:39PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.5
"It would be impossible not to learn and grow from a summer experience like this.
My mind was opened to so many new ideas and situations and I can feel the
differences in me and how I relate to other people. For the summer, I escaped the
reality of a college student and entered into an entirely different reality I had never
before known about--that of the farmworker community--where I witnessed the
incredible dignity and beauty that comprise the human spirit"
Jennifer Winston, Duke University, 1992 intern
Jennifer was able to have this life-changing experience through a unique summer
internship program which utilizes student resources and skills to meet pressing
human needs while at the same time sharpening students' leadership skills and
strengthening their commitments to working for long-term social change. Student
Action with Farmworkers invites the Cannon Foundation to become a partner in a
new program to make this type of experience available to many more students and
farmworkers across North Carolina and the nation.
Overview
Student Action with Farmworkers is a nonprofit organization created to improve
the status of farmworkers in our society by educating and involving college students
in farmworker service agencies and community groups. SAF seeks to build a
national network of campus-based projects focusing on farmworker issues. These
projects will include both summer internships and year-round opportunities for
volunteerism and community education. SAF strives to link two broad national
movements: the growing numbers of young people interested in performing public
service, and the various individuals and organizations seeking to improve
conditions for America's farmworkers. SAF will collaborate with many groups
within these networks in order to achieve this goal. While SAF will link and
support existing student volunteer programs from across the nation, the focus of
outreach during the first year will be on schools in North and South Carolina.
Student Action with Farmworkers respectfully requests $15,000 from the Cannon
Foundation, which will support the 1993 Summer Internship and Leadership
Development Program and will allow seven college students to participate in this
innovative summer internship program which addresses the needs of North and
South Carolina's migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
About SAF
Student Action with Farmworkers developed out of a service-learning internship
project sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University during
the past three summers. The project grew out of the interests of Dr. Robert Coles, a
psychiatrist, writer, professor, and long-time migrant advocate, in combining college
student service, migrant education, and documentary work. His ideas developed
into a plan for a summer internship project in which students from Duke would be
both classroom helpers and observers, documenting the existing conditions and
needs in the lives of migrant children. In the fall of 1989 the Migrant Children's
Education and Documentation Project was created with funding from the U.S.
MAR 05 '93 03:40PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.6
Department of Education, and fourteen students were recruited to participate. The
two main goals of the internship project were: first, to try to understand the lives of
the migrant children and families who would be affected by government policy
decisions, and second, to explore the possibility of using college student volunteers
to improve migrant education.
When they arrived in eastern North Carolina, the public school program had been
shortened due to funding cuts, and the students searched for other ways to become
involved with farmworkers. They worked at a health clinic, legal services program,
through churches and individual tutoring projects. As they went to migrant camps
and accompanied families to social service agencies, they realized that there were
many more factors than just the classroom that affected the education of migrant
children. The issues were all intertwined. A parent's immigration status could
determine if a child attended school. Health problems could interfere with learning.
Low wages, unsteady work and lack of child care created an economic imperative for
children to work in the fields. It was clear that students could not only be an
important addition to a Head Start or public school program, but could assist
migrant families in many other ways. Through their documentary work--a book of
photographs, essays and poems, a photo and art exhibit, an oral history, and two
videos-the interns' experiences were brought to people in the broader community,
many of whom were unaware of the situations of farmworker families.
Students who have participated in the migrant internship program at Duke agree
that the experience was one of the most important in their college career, one they
carry with them as leave college and enter the working world. A group of
participants from the original Duke internship project, along with partners from a
new collaborative effort with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and
North Carolina Central University, have now come together to create Student
Action with Farmworkers with the hope of bringing this successful program to
other campuses and farmworker communities.
The Needs
Each year, nearly 400,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their dependents
labor in the fields of North and South Carolina. The needs of this predominantly
Latino and African American population, so often hidden from view, are
tremendous. Although agriculture is the most dangerous profession nationally,
farmworkers are exempted from many workplace safety laws. They suffer from a
higher incidence of malnutrition and infectious disease than any other
subpopulation in the country. Migrant children are frequently forced to drop out of
school to help support their families. The average income for a family of
farmworkers is less than half the poverty line. Many farmworkers are new
immigrants with limited or no English ability who are unable to access available
resources. Most live in isolated rural areas without transportation. Discrimination,
job insecurity, and inadequate housing add to the difficulties.
A preliminary survey, conducted in the fall of 1991, of organizations which work
with farmworkers in North Carolina, Florida and nationally, indicated tremendous
2
MAR 05 '93 03:41PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.7
interest in involving more college students in their work. These organizations
have suffered from budget cuts and need extra help to increase their effectiveness,
but lack the means to contact and train interested students. Farmworkers and their
advocates could benefit greatly from an increase in student involvement.
All too often, a college student's education remains removed from the real world
and in particular lacks discussion and action on issues related to poverty and
injustice. Although there are increasing numbers of student volunteers, few work
with migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and experiential summer internships
which include group-building and leadership training remain uncommon.
Students need opportunities for service work which contributes to the community,
exposes them to people of different cultures and lifestyles, and increases their
commitment to life-long social action. Unfortunately, many students are unable to
participate in community service summer internships at all because they must
contribute to the increasingly higher costs of their education. Most students on
financial aid could not even consider such a program without some type of
scholarship assistance or living expense stipend. SAF hopes to provide such
support in order to increase our ability to recruit a diverse group of student interns.
The Response: The SAF Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program
In 1993, SAF will respond to the needs of these various constituencies-students,
farmworkers, and farmworker agencies--through two main programs. SAF's board
and staff will provide assistance for a collaborative class and internship program for
students from Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC Central University. In
addition, we will plan and implement the SAF Summer Internship and Leadership
Development Program, a service-learning internship experience for up to thirty
students from schools across the country, although we will recruit most heavily
from North and South Carolina.
Program specifics
Student Action with Farmworkers will raise awareness on other university
campuses about farmworker issues and recruit a diverse group of interns through
presentations at conferences and campus visits and mailings. SAF will assist
students in personal fundraising efforts for a stipend to cover their basic living
expenses for the summer. Students on financial aid who would otherwise be
unable to participate will be eligible for direct financial assistance in the form of a
$1500 stipend.
Students will first participate in a week-long training and orientation session and
then spend the remainder of the summer in small groups at work sites in rural
communities in both North and South Carolina. Students will work in education,
health, legal services, or other programs to expand their capacities to reach migrant
and seasonal farmworkers and their families. In addition, new projects will be
developed according to the needs of the farmworker population in each area after
we consult with community organizations and farmworkers. For example, we plan
to create a College Connections project to reach out to farmworker youth and
encourage them to finish high school and continue on to higher education by
3
MAR 05 '93 03:41PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
P.8
providing information about application processes and financial aid. Students will
document their experiences and will meet regularly for reflection and discussion.
Throughout the summer, students will develop leadership skills and return to their
campuses ready to initiate local volunteer programs, thus reaching more students,
community members, and farmworkers. SAF will continue to offer support to the
campus-based programs and create a network among such programs through a
newsletter and other resources.
Program Goals
to provide farmworkers and their families with greater access to existing services
and programs through students' work at various agencies and organizations
to utilize student resources to develop new projects, such as English as a Second
Language classes and college recruitment activities, which will respond
directly to the interests of the farmworker population
to help create a supportive environment for the efforts of farmworkers
themselves to improve their status in our society
to link college students and farmworkers in order to develop better
communication, understanding and support among people of different
cultures and backgrounds
to share and develop the skills and knowledge necessary for campus and
community organizing
to increase student commitment to public service work
to lay the foundation for a strong network of college student groups working with
farmworkers for greater social justice.
Program Outcomes
SAF's Summer Internship and Leadership Development Program is different from
most internships because the focus is on both providing service to members of a
community while at the same time providing structured opportunities for a group
of students to learn and grow from the experience. Above all, SAF is an educational
program in which "education" takes many forms.
Students, farmworkers, the organizations that serve farmworkers, the university,
and the society at large will all benefit from Student Action with Farmworkers. In
this mutually beneficial relationship, college students can assist farmworkers by
helping with transportation, serving as translators, teaching English, doing outreach
work with a health screening team, and providing extra teachers in a migrant Head
Start center or public school program. Farmworkers, in return, have much to teach
college students about a different way of life and the importance of work for social
justice. Students' experiences will be enhanced and their cultural understanding
increased when they meet farmworkers who come from other countries and
cultures, such as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The overburdened
and financially-strained organizations that work with farmworkers, such as Migrant
Head Start, health clinics, schools, and community-based groups, can benefit from
the energy and talents of student interns. In return, the staff of such organizations
can help students learn and encourage more young people to enter careers in public
service. The university benefits when students return to campus and share what
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they have learned, encouraging others to join in community service. The society
benefits when migrant children receive a better education, when health care is
available to more farmworkers, when the rights of minority populations are better
protected, when people of different backgrounds and cultures interact and develop
greater respect for one another, and when students and farmworkers both move on
to socially responsible leadership roles.
Evaluation
The program will be evaluated by the student participants, the organizations which
sponsor interns, and the farmworkers involved in special projects. Each will
complete an evaluation form at the middle and end of the summer. The
evaluation will determine if and how: students are expanding organizations'
capacities to serve farmworkers, students are providing a means for new and
innovative programs, students are becoming more sensitive to this population and
more committed to working for social change. Some of the questions students will
come to grapple with are: What are the underlying causes for the continued
problems facing farmworkers? What changes can be made? What is my connection
to someone so seemingly different from myself? How can we break down the
barriers of race, religion, culture, class and gender that are so persistent? What role
can I play in making changes that will improve our society?
Fund Development
We will work to develop a strong financial base with support from various public
and private funders. SAF has been awarded a $10,000 challenge grant from the
Kathleen Price and Joseph M. Bryan Family Foundation, to be matched one-for-one.
We are pursuing other foundation, corporation, church, individual and federal
monies.
Staff
Carolyn Corrie, the director of Student Action with Farmworkers, was recently
awarded a Young Career Prize from the Lyndhurst Foundation in recognition of her
community service work. As an undergraduate at Duke University, she participated
in and helped to coordinate service-learning internship programs working with the
homeless, at-risk children, and migrant and seasonal farmworkers. During her
senior year she wrote a history honors thesis on the problems of farmworkers in
North Carolina and reform efforts over the past thirty years. After graduation, she
completed the final report on the Center for Documentary Studies Migrant
Children's Education and Documentation Project and wrote a resource manual on
initiating student volunteer projects with farmworkers (see attached materials).
Through her work she has gained the necessary experience and has made contacts
within the student service network which will enable her to effectively carry out the
programs of Student Action with Farmworkers.
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MAR 05 '93 03:43PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
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SAF
STUDENT ACTION WITH FARMWORKERS
Board of Directors
Christine Alvarado
David Thomas
Director
Outreach Worker
St. Martin's Migrant Head Start Center
Tri-County Community Health Center
Dunn, NC
Newton Grove, NC
Susan Brock
Ted Parrish
Migrant Specialist
Chair
N.C. Primary Health Care Association
Department of Health Education
Cary, NC
NC Central University
Durham, NC
Sharon Brown
Farmworker
Newton Grove, NC
Wachula, FL
Cathy Callahan, Treasurer
Founder
SOFA-UNC (Students Organized for
Farmworker Awareness)
Chapel Hill, NC
* Carolyn Corrie
Director
Student Action with Farmworkers
Durham, NC
Pam DiStefano, Chair
Attorney
Farmworkers Legal Services
Raleigh, NC
Newton Grove, NC
Kim Lawson, Secretary
Coordinator
SOFA-UNC
Chapel Hill, NC
* Non-voting member
331 West Main St., Suite 511, Durham, NC 27701 Phone: 919-637-0486 Fax: 687-0528
MAR 05 '93 03:43PM CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES
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Harvard University
University Health Services
75 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge. MA 02138
December 13, 1992
To Whom it May Concern:
I recommend SAF (Student Action with Farmworkers) with all my
heart and soul — an extraordinary effort of morally energetic young college
people to connect with migrant farm families. I have been involved with
this initiative from its beginning and have been enormously impressed by
what it has come to be - a major achievement: children educated; families
brought in contact with health facilities; a range of other services made
available to needy, vulnerable workers and their sons and daughters. I know
of no rural "service" program run by college students that can match this one
for its thoughtful, dedicated, sensitive work with people as marginal as any in
our country.
Sincerely,
Robert Coles, M.D.
Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities