INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Campus Compact (ICC) is partnering with Franklin College, Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children, and Wheeler Mission Lighthouse Center to host a Summer Break alternative for Indiana college students.  Twelve students, from ten college campuses will spend a week learning about Indianapolis’s homeless population, including spending three nights in one of two homeless shelters.

Students from Anderson University, IPFW, Ivy Tech- Lafayette, IU-Bloomington, IU-Northwest, IU-South Bend, Ivy Tech-Central, Ivy Tech-Valparaiso, Saint Mary’s College, and USI will come together to:

The program will be led Indiana Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), Rachel Rekowski and will feature guest speakers Franklin College Service-Learning Coordinator Doug Grant, The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention Program Director Michael Hurst, IUPUI Professor of Anthropology and Museum Studies Dr. Larry Zimmerman, and Bread for the World Chair Dave Miner.

In describing the program for the week, Rekowski said “A coalition of college students from across the state of Indiana will come together for an intense and challenging week of in-depth learning.  Students will experience homelessness through a variety of avenues including living in a homeless shelter, visiting an archeological study site focused on homeless culture, and touring and serving at local non-profits that provide services to persons experiencing homelessness. We hope this experience will inspire students to be advocates for our homeless neighbors and become change makers in their communities.”

Indiana Campus Compact is a network of 42 college campuses that involves students, faculty and staff in service-learning and civic engagement in order to educate citizens, prepare tomorrow’s leaders, and contribute to the quality of life of America’s communities.  With support from its governing board comprised of the presidents and chancellors of its member campuses, ICC supports the integration of service-learning and civic engagement into campus culture by facilitating collaborations, sponsoring programs, sharing best practices and promoting awareness of higher education’s role in graduating well-informed, engaged citizens.  For more information, visit www.indianacampuscompact.org.