Twenty-two Akron-area high school students volunteered part of their spring break to tackle major community problems, including hunger and homelessness, at the EXL Center at the University of Akron.
The Experiential Learning Center for Entrepreneurship & Civic Engagement, which opened this month at Bierce Library, is designed to help students gain hands-on experience on projects by working with faculty and community partners.
Other topics identified by the students were the abuse of pain management drugs, urbanization and urban gardening at the weeklong “What’s your problem?” project.
Their goal: Identify a problem, understand the range of potential solutions, develop a solution based on the strengths of the team and name a community partner working on the same issue. Wednesday was research day for the students who were split into four teams.
The group dealing with homelessness said they wanted to target people 18 to 25.
Tommy Sayarath, 16, of Akron STEM High School, said the group is doing research on Habitat for Humanity and Haven of Rest as community organizations who help the homeless.
“Most homeless people between 18 and 25 are high school dropouts,” said Our Lady of the Elms sophomore Olivia Damm, 16, of Lodi. “Staying in school is most important.”
Several people volunteered to work with the students.
“How do you know what’s more important,” asked Gopal Nadkarni, director of UA’s innovation practice center in the engineering department.
“It depends on the person and what they need,” said Buchtel junior Naudia Harris, 17, of Akron.
“Have you ever talked to a homeless person?” Nadkarni asked.
All six group members answered no.
“Without talking to them, how would you know? Are you going to ask them what they need? You won’t know, unless you ask them,” he said.
Nadkarni suggested that each of them talk to five homeless people, telling them to ask their parents to stop the car when they see one and talk to them for a few minutes and let them tell their stories.
“Ask them what are their aspirations, what are [they] lacking,” Nadkarni said.
Dan Hampu, project manager of UA’s Research Foundation, also asked the hunger group a few questions.
“What do you need to get the program off the ground?” he asked.
“Somewhere to operate and people willing to help like volunteers and someone to get the word out about us,” answered Jalen Faircloth, 15, of Akron, another Akron STEM High School student. “We need to narrow it down more.”
Hampu asked who the group would be competing with for the same resources and if there is a way to utilize resources at their schools.
“South Street Ministries provides emergency food and shelter,” said Archbishop Hoban High School student Alex Sapp, 16, of Barberton. “But we would all be working for the greater good even if there is some overlap.”
He said at Hoban there is a program called Project HOPE where students deliver bagged lunches to the homeless every Thursday.
Hampu also asked if there’s a niche that only the group could provide.
Annie Hanson, manager of the Akron Hub of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, also a volunteer for the EXL event, asked the students to give her a pitch defining what they want to do.
“We’re going to find a re-purpose space and open a building that partners with businesses around the area to provide a place for the homeless to come to at least twice a week, but along with that they can come and help prepare the meals and learn basic kitchen skills to help them get jobs,” said Gracie Bagdon, 16, of Cuyahoga Falls, a Hoban sophomore.
“So the thing that sets you apart from food pantries and soup kitchens is that they get more than just something to eat, but learn basic kitchen skills while focusing on hunger,” Hanson said.
Gracie said the organization would also serve as a job reference for people.
EXL’s founding director Jeff Hoffman said the four-day project is designed to offer the students a better set of tools for problem solving.
“When they see problems, they will be able to say they actually know how to attack problems,” he said, explaining that students will be able to analyze issues, build a team and figure out what assets and objectives they have. “We just want them to be able to develop a methodology so they feel confident in solving problems themselves.”
EXL resource director Ian Schwarber said Akron-based philanthropist Phil Maynard is underwriting the program. Each community organization the groups name to work with will receive $1,025 to continue their efforts.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 ormmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.
Akron Beacon Journal
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