Receiving valuable leadership experience and forging a long-lasting relationship between student groups at Fredonia and the Chautauqua Adult Day Care Center went hand-in-hand during a class leadership project held during November.
And not to be overlooked, of course, was how students enrolled in an Advanced Leadership class (LEAD 201) brightened the day for several dozen seniors in the Dunkirk area by organizing activities and programs designed to facilitate natural discussion and storytelling.
A group of seven students in one of the two Advanced Leadership classes handled all aspects of their project, such as contacting CADC associate director Karen Lucks, raising funds and soliciting donations to support the event and recruiting two campus organizations, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Latinos Unidos, and students in the Music Therapy program. Daniel Smith taught their LEAD 201 class.
Other student groups in the two LEAD 2001 classes teamed up with Compeer, Fredonia Place and Dunkirk School 3. Joyce Harvard Smith served as the point person for agency and school contacts.
“One of the goals of these projects is to create long-lasting partnerships, or change the current partnership between Fredonia and the agency,” said Mark Suida, coordinator of the Leadership Studies minor and program and assistant director of Campus Life. Students had to use their creativity to meet the expectations of both the course and the respective agency or school.
“I always tell the students that this project is bigger than a grade. It’s also about serving others, learning about yourself and navigating the group process where power and duties are shared,” Suida explained.
Pumpkin painting, assorted games, dancing, exercising, craft making and the creation of individual memory pages, which included client name, picture and words of wisdom or valuable lessons that they wish to share with others, were among activities hosted by students. Just as valuable was the time that students spent getting to know the seniors during informal conversations.
Tori Curtis, a sophomore Social Work major from Falconer, gained first-hand insight into what she calls the “power of presence.” Before the activity day, she did not have a deep understanding of how much impact one person can have on another. “Seeing the clients’ faces light up when we gave them genuine attention really showed me how much it meant to them that we came,” Curtis explained. “Before we showed up for the event, it was just a project. After, it was so much more.” It was an experience that Curtis said she will never forget.
Zach Beaudoin, a junior English and International Studies major from Angola, enjoyed meeting the seniors and gaining a new perspective in the human services field. “I already work in human services for my job, but this was interesting to see how the workers connect with the residents and how we were able to make them feel appreciated.”
Devon Brodka, a sophomore English Adolescence Education major from Holland, N.Y., said making all arrangements for the event provided a valuable lesson in perseverance.
“We had a bit of adversity set against us from the beginning, but as a group we kept moving forward to achieve our goals as well as help our other groups involved achieve theirs,” Brodka said. It’s nice to work with a team of people who want to move towards a goal, she added.
“We learned a lot throughout this project, particularly how to work as a team to overcome any obstacles that are thrown at us,” explained Melissa Goggin, a sophomore Music Therapy major from Jeffersonville, N.Y. “We also learned that sometimes you have to swallow your pride and be able to start from square one in order to make something 10-times better.”
Charlotte Passero, a sophomore Accounting and Finance major from Rochester, said working with outside agencies and adjusting to changes provided valuable leadership experience. “I have also learned that in most situations things do not work out how they are planned and it is how we deal with them that shows what kind of leaders we are,” Passero said.
Over 15 members of Fredonia’s faculty, staff and administrators serve on a panel to offer input and grade these students on their progress and goals.
