Students tackle issues facing urban areas

onprofit groups and agencies in Rochester neighborhoods, including the 19th Ward, Plymouth-Exchange, and South Wedge are getting help from some of the University's student leaders.

The Urban Fellows Summer Internship Program, supported by a partnership between the University, Leadership Rochester, and the 19th Ward Community Association, will allow 13 selected students the opportunity to work closely with community organizations and leaders to tackle some of the city's persistent challenges.

"We expect our students to learn how to be leaders and to marry the 'practical' to the 'theoretical,'" says Jody Asbury, dean of students in the College. "We're delighted that the Rochester Area Community Foundation is helping Leadership Rochester, the University, nonprofit organizations, and other local colleges to use this young intellectual talent in our urban communities."

Beyond the hands-on work inside neighborhoods, the urban fellows also will participate in workshops aimed at increasing their knowledge and awareness of social issues through faculty seminars as well as programs with city and community leaders.

Creating a corps of Urban Fellows builds on Leadership Rochester's new Civic Engagement Program for college students, which began last September and brought together students from the University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Monroe Community College, St. John Fisher College, and SUNY Brockport.

The University worked with Leadership Rochester to create the Civic Engagement model and also applied to the Rochester Area Community Foundation, in collaboration with Leadership Rochester and the 19th Ward Community Association, for the urban fellows program.

For one of the University's closest neighbors, this new collaboration is "one of the most important ever announced" between the two, points out John Borek, president of the 19th Ward Community Association. "I have always thought it worth noting that the two most diverse communities in Monroe County--the University and the 19th Ward--are neighbors."

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