More than 40 UGA students serve as Experience UGA ambassadors. (Courtesy photo)
The University of Georgia's Service Learning Office is a collaborative program Experience UGAhas received the 2024 International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) President’s Award of Excellence in recognition of their impact on the community.
Experience UGA, a program coordinated by the University of Georgia’s Office of Service Learning in partnership with the Clark County School District, received the award at this year’s ITGA annual conference, “The Power of Partnerships: Solving Big Challenges Together,” held at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.
“Experience UGA was founded with the mission of providing higher education opportunities to more children in our community,” said Shannon Brooks, director of the Office of Service Learning. “This program has brought the town and the university together to achieve this mission, and it is an honor to be recognized by ITGA for more than a decade of success. I am proud of our collaborative efforts to build and sustain this program that provides opportunities for all children in our local school district.”
ITGA is a non-profit organization where university, city and local leaders work together to address community issues such as economic development, sustainability, housing and civic engagement. Members meet regularly to share knowledge and research and celebrate the achievements of their peers in communities across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. The ITGA Presidential Excellence Awards were established in 2013 to recognize ITGA members who have demonstrated excellence in volunteerism, leadership and educational achievements.
“Of this year's nominees, Experience UGA stands out in its encompassment of the award's values of leadership, volunteerism and service,” said ITGA President Corey Peterson. “Experience UGA is a fantastic program that collaboratively brings together community leaders, university staff and students, and local schools each year to invite K-12 students to explore the possibilities of college on a fun, educational field trip. It's a simple program idea, but one that requires a lot of coordination and will have a tremendous impact on future generations.”
Experience UGA was launched in 2012 with the mission to take all Clark County School District students from kindergarten through 12th grade on an annual educational tour to the University of Georgia. Experience UGA works with on-campus school and university partners to design and host grade-specific tours that introduce students to life on a college campus and connect what they are learning in the classroom to higher education. Since the program began, more than 85,000 local students have visited the University of Georgia campus on Experience UGA tours.
“This program wouldn't be possible without our student ambassadors, volunteers and partners,” said Josh Podvin, associate director of community partnerships in the Office of Service-Learning. “We have over 40 University of Georgia students serving as ambassadors, over 1,000 University of Georgia students serving as volunteers, and over 40 departments and units across campus partnering with us. On the school side, we have an advisory board and over 100 faculty who act as liaisons and collaborators. As you can imagine, bringing 10,000 students to campus and conducting over 100 field trips is a lot of work, but we couldn't do it without all of their help.”
“Clark County School District is grateful for our continued partnership with the University of Georgia through Experience UGA,” said Robbie Hooker, Superintendent of Clark County School District. “This program broadens the minds of our students from kindergarten through senior year of high school and helps them understand the career and educational opportunities that exist in Athens. Preparing for life after high school is important not only to the well-being of our students, but to the well-being of our entire community.”
To learn more about Experience UGA, visit https://servicelearning.uga.edu/community-engagement/experience-uga/
