Big Idea Title: Developing Training for Effective Leadership When Running Service Activities

Name of Congress Representatives: Kathrine Avila, Justin Freedman, Tamara Ibezim, Daniel Lee

Your Proposal:  This year our big idea proposal is to develop and implement training into our program that teaches our Bonner Scholars how to motivate freshman when leading them in service days and create a code of conduct that promotes professionalism and enthusiasm as well.

TCNJ Bonners mobilize about 1400 freshmen each year to complete a community service graduation requirement. Freshman fulfill this requirement through either a one-day eight hour service project called a CEL (Community Engaged Learning) day or through a series of shorter sessions as part of their first year writing seminar course. In both instances, these students are lead by Bonners as they complete their service requirement. 

Anytime we lead students in a CEL day our goal is to energize them and get them to care about the social justice issue at hand.  Additionally, we aim to motivate them to sustain their involvement in service projects throughout their college career and life after college. 

We have been successful in accomplishing these goals and much of the core of our volunteers come to us as a result of their first year experience. However we feel that our training for these days to not fully prepare Bonners to motivate and engage students.

We would like to better train our Bonner students in how to motivate these 1400 students when leading service activities. The big idea we would like to work on is to develop a good way to train the Bonners in how to motivate and how to incorporate this training into our Bonner orientation or meeting schedule. We would like to focus on these four areas of training:

1.To encourage our Bonners to adopt an attitude towards their service that reflects a passion for the issue area (i.e. homeless, hunger, urban education).

2. To equip our Bonners with the skills necessary to effectively lead the day by being able to engage students and serve as a resource for students questions and concerns.

3. To promote a level of professionalism and conduct through the way our Bonner leaders dress, speak, and act in all aspects of the CEL day.

4. To train leaders to be able to create meaningful reflections at the end of the day that will encourage sustained involvement.

Since we are in the business of performing community service, we must be effective salesmen in conveying this our passion for service to the freshman.  In order to do so, we must think and act as a cohesive unit when executing our duties as Bonners  . We hope that implementing this new training will create Bonners who are capable and confident in their abilities to lead CEL days and in doing so,  impact the lives of freshman.