Village Profiles

Posted: December 7, 2012

Living and Learning Villages help students get the most out of their NC State experience. While many campus partners have probably heard of the Village concept, some may be unfamiliar with the specific Villages and their purposes. Stay tuned as we spend some time profiling our Villages to help you get a better understanding of the many offerings University Housing and its partners provide through Village living.

Impact Leadership Village (ILV)

The IMPACT Leadership Village’s (ILV) name says it all. This dynamic Village is for students who want to make an impact on the world around them. Whether their aspirations are to be the 45^th President of the United States or to lead a nonprofit or grassroots movement – the IMPACT Leadership Village prepares them to do just that.

Gene Honeycutt, a freshman resident in the Village, says it’s “the next best thing to home.” He describes his interactions with other student emerging leaders as “inspiring and engaging.” One of the real strengths of the Village is its multidisciplinary approach to leadership. It engages students from a variety of majors, backgrounds, and colleges, and encourages them to live and work together to grow their leadership skills and potential. Honeycutt adds, “The Village helped me transition to college. It was a way for strangers to come together around a common interest and become friends.”

The ILV is housed in Bowen Hall, but their work expands beyond the borders of Bowen and into the local community, state, nation, and world! Specifically, IMPACT students participate in leadership workshops, attend academic engagement groups, complete community service projects, engage in a leadership dinner series, and complete a one-credit ILV Leadership Course, NPS 395.

The diversity of activities afforded to IMPACT participants would not be possible without the collaboration of numerous campus partners. The Institute for Nonprofits, the General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center, the Center for Student Leadership, Ethics and Public Service are some of the partners that shape the program.

“ILV is designed to equip and prepare students for ‘positively effective’ leadership for the state, nation and world,” said Ebony Hinton, Assistant Director for University Housing. “We do this through real world application of leadership skills, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Our students understand that leadership development is self-development, and that part of learning to lead is about discovering who you are, what you care about and value, then making a choice to live life on purpose.”

Fast Fact: Did you know that the current Student Body President, Andy Walsh, is an ILV alum?

Student Advocating for Youth Village (SAY)

For those students looking to make a difference in their community, who enjoy working with children, and who are looking to make life-long friendships – the Students Advocating for Youth (SAY) Village is the place to be.

Located in Syme Residence Hall, SAY provides students the chance not only to live and to learn but to apply what they learn in a real-world setting. Like the IMPACT Leadership Village, SAY takes a multidisciplinary approach and attracts students from all majors and backgrounds.

So, what does it mean to live in the SAY Village and be a SAY Youth Advocate? Working with three local elementary schools, SAY students are paired with a 4^th or 5^th grade student. SAY participants work with their designated mentee once a week to help them develop life skills that will build upon their potential. For many, the mentee relationship is life-changing. Just ask Elena Brown, sophomore chemistry major from Durham, NC. “My favorite part of SAY is working with my mentee. She is just like me, only younger. We both like science experiments. We both like writing and being funny and goofy. We have a really nice relationship.”

Elena adds, “My support system, when I was younger, was my grandmother and my teachers. They pushed me to be better and do better. They didn’t just give up on me. Through SAY, I can be that same support system for my mentee.”

Aside from the one-on-one mentoring relationships developed through SAY, students living in the Village get to enjoy the close-knit community that Syme has to offer. Makayla Smith, a freshman animal science major, loves “the people”. “SAY has been all I expected and more. I love the people here. I love living with people who have the same interests and the same heart for children that I have,” Smith adds.

Many students enjoy their first-year SAY experience so much that they choose to return as second-year students! To serve second-year participants, the Village offers the “Determined Area Youth” (DAY) program, in which participants assist middle school students with developing self-advocacy skills.

The SAY Village is a powerful partnership between the College of Education and University Housing – a partnership that is changing the lives of both NC State students and youth in the local community.

Stay tuned to the next edition of the Wolf’s Den for additional Village profiles. Visit our website to learn more.