Inspired by their integrative learning experience with FACETS, a nonprofit that provides services to Fairfax County's homeless population, Cornerstones class NCLC 203 Inquiry to Action students organized a Mason student-wide effort to combat hunger.
Dr. Julie Owen, New Century College Assistant Professor of Leadership and Integrative Studies, is proud of her students' success in initiating a successful hunger-relief program. She writes:
The nclc 203 Inquiry to Action learning community considers the relationships between academic social science research, individual acts and society’s social and political structures. Students design a community-based research project, explore a rich array of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and apply their learning to real world problems. Students in my section of the course worked with FACETS, a Fairfax-based nonprofit that offers a comprehensive set of programs and services to address homelessness. Through the students' research projects they discovered that, despite appearances to the contrary, there are large temporary and chronic homeless populations in Fairfax County, and many who are in need of nutritious meals. The students in nclc 203, under the leadership of class member Jordan Bivings, decided that they could organize students at Mason to put otherwise wasted campus meal plans to use to feed the impoverished/homeless of Fairfax County. The students worked to get Mason Meals established as a campus organization so it can be a sustainable enterprise. There is meaningful reciprocity in this approach. Mason students learned about research and social issues from interacting with many homeless individuals, as well as the caring staff and volunteers at FACETS, and in return they are giving something back. Additionally, students from the class were recognized at the FACETS Opening DoorsBreakfast in May 2011. These student changemakers are making a difference locally, as well as engaging fellow students in addressing important social needs.
January 13, 2012
