AMERICORP & BRIDGES 4 LEARNING AT TRAVELING THEATRE
AmeriCorps, often referred to as “the domestic Peace Corps,” is a network of national service programs that engage more than 75,000 Americans each year in intensive service to meet critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. AmeriCorps members serve all over the country through more than 3,000 nonprofits, public agencies, and faith-based organizations. In exchange for a year of service, members receive a modest living allowance and an education award of up to $4,725 to repay existing qualified student loans or defray future costs of college, graduate school, or vocational training.
Bridges 4 Learning is a unique and diverse partnership between Traveling Theatre, Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living, Cranston Community Learning Center and Woonsocket Connecting for Children and Families. This program allows for the recruitment and training of AmeriCorps members who possess a desire to develop knowledge and skills in green mentoring, environmental education, arts literacy, family engagement, and pedagogy in an after school atmosphere.
The Bridges 4 Learning program began in 2008, and the first group of seven AmeriCorps members will graduate from the 11-month program in August. Another eight members, hired with stimulus funding to teach community members how to weatherize their homes, began in June and will be joined by an additional seven members in August to form the 15-member group for the 2009-2010 year.
Serve RI is the funder for the Bridges 4 Learning program. Serve Rhode Island, a state commission for national and community service, is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1994, which funds transformative service opportunities and promotes a statewide ethic of service and activism. For more information on Serve Rhode Island, AmeriCorps, and other national service programs, visit www.serverhodeisland.org.
