2. Intro video
Possible Discussion Question: What services experience(s) have you had prior to coming to Niagara University?

3. IMPACT/ReNU is…
Brief History: Up until last year, IMPACT and ReNU Niagara were two separate programs at NU; IMPACT was focused on service learning and ReNU Niagara was the University’s flagship community outreach program and was located off-campus.
The programs were merged in advance of the academic year – within the Levesque Institute for Civic Engagement - to streamline programming and better align student service learning activities with community outreach and community development efforts – which will ultimately create a greater impact on the community and students
At the heart of IMPACT’s mission is the advancement of the culture of civic and community engagement that exists at NU. It is a comprehensive and individualized service program, which places more emphasis on professional and personal growth versus a model that highlights hours of service.
The IMPACT Model (seen here) has a three-fold focus on Outcomes of service experiences, Career Preparation through service, and Project-Based Learning (all will be explained in subsequent slides). This model was carefully designed and is an innovative approach to student service, allowing NU to continue the tradition of being a leader in the area of service and service learning.

4. WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL YOU MAKE?
What we really want to know is…
WHAT DIFFERENCE WILL YOU MAKE?
…in the lives of people.
…on the community as a whole.
An outcome = the way things turn out
We know that our students, faculty and staff are incredibly engaged in our on and off campus communities. We know that students, on average, complete about 1,000 hours of community service per week.
But we want to know more. A lot more. We want to know:
What has been accomplished through those hours?
How many people were served?
What is the tangible difference that was made?
What was the impact of the service experience on the community? On the community members? On you, as a student?
Did you use career skills?
How much money was raised, if applicable?
We are flipping the script from a focus on hours to a focus on outcomes – measurable ones. The IMPACT office loves data and the stories told by the data. We also love the stories our students tell about their service experiences, and strive to assist with better telling those stories.

5. Value of Volunteer Labor $24.69/hour
Service matters to…
Value of Volunteer Labor
$24.69/hour
Value of Skills-Based Volunteering
$150.00/hour
IMPACT projects provide a opportunities for students to gain real-world experience in their field of study, to better prepare you for future careers and provide you with concrete experiences that you would be proud to include on your resume.
IMPACT projects are great opportunities for students who are still unsure about what direction that want to go in – to “sample” different careers, so to speak, through a project that benefits the community while aiding in the student’s decision-making.
We know that employers also care about service. Listed on the slide are the Civic50 – an annual list of the 50 most community-minded companies in the nation, as determined by a survey. These are public and private companies with U.S. operations and revenues that exceed $1 billion annually. They are selected based on four criteria: Investment in community engagement; Integration of community engagement programs with business interests and functions; Institutionalization of community engagement through organizational policies, systems, incentives; and how the company measures the social impacts and outcomes of their community engagement programs.
We know that service matters to these companies. In fact, 56% of these companies include community engagement in their performance reviews. 78% person of these companies actively measure and report on their social impact. More than half of these companies connect community engagement with skills development; and 25% of volunteer experiences are skills-based.
Time spent in service carries a great value. According to independentsector.org; the value of a volunteer hour is $ That number is more than six times greater when the volunteer service utilizes a volunteers skill set. For example, the time an accountant spends doing free tax preparation assistance for senior citizens would be valued at $150/hour, whereas an accountant spending time cleaning up a neighborhood would be valued at $24.69/hour.
…and they hire NU students
Civic50.org

6. Here’s a video to best explain what Project Based Learning is.

7. POVERTY The Need for IMPACT Workforce Development Housing Literacy
Unemployment Rates:
Niagara Falls: 11.4%
Niagara County: 10%
Housing
53% NF residents are homeowners
90% NF houses built before 1979
Literacy
30% functional illiteracy rate (Niagara County)
Health & Wellness
NF zip code is a Food Desert
73% NF children receive free and reduced breakfast and lunch
Early Childhood Education
NF: 12.5% have Bachelor’s Degree or higher
NF: 36.4% children living in poverty
Our local communities have great needs – here’s a snapshot of just a few listed within the pillars of the Levesque Institute
POVERTY

8. Road Map to the Elimination of Poverty
Early Childhood
Health and Wellness
Literacy
Social skills
Socio economics
Education
Housing
Workforce Preparation
Elimination of Poverty
This “road map” illustrates multiple factors that lead to/contribute to the elimination of poverty – shows a cradle to career thought process from:
Early Childhood, which includes early education opportunities as well as break multigenerational cycles of poverty within families (e.g. a child growing up in a impoverished home might only know poverty as a lifestyle as that is all they have seen over multiple generations, from great grandparents to grandparents to parents)
Health & Wellness – poverty and poor health are inextricably linked. Poverty is a cause and consequence of poor health; it increases the chances for poor health which, in turn, traps communities in poverty. Overcoming these obstacles, via the transformation of economic and political policy and through programs, is critical to the elimination of poverty.
Literacy – as seen on the previous slide, there is a 30% illiteracy rate in Niagara County. Children from impoverished homes do not have as much exposure to language and learning. Poverty alters the way the brain matures, and children who come from poverty experience higher levels of stress than those who don’t, making learning much more challenging.
Social Skills - Poverty is associated with a higher risk for poor cognitive and academic outcomes, lower school attendance, and grade failure. By fourth grade, students living in the poorest families lag academically 12 – 18 months behind their high-income peers. Low-income students are chronically absent at a rate of three to four times higher than other students. Children living in poverty are more likely to incur more adverse childhood experiences including abuse, neglect, exposure to neighborhood violence, or an incarcerated parent. Nearly half of children who have experienced three or more adverse childhood experiences have low levels of engagement in school and do not finish tasks they start.
Over 40% of children with multiple adverse childhood experiences demonstrate negative behaviors such as arguing too much, bullying, or being cruel to others.
Socioeconomics - Socioeconomic status (SES) encompasses not just income but also educational attainment, financial security, and subjective perceptions of social status and social class. Socioeconomic status can encompass quality of life attributes as well as the opportunities and privileges afforded to people within society. Poverty, specifically, is not a single factor but rather is characterized by multiple physical and psychosocial stressors
Education - When it comes to poverty and education, many children face difficult situations. Students who live in poverty come to school every day without the proper tools for success. As a result, they are commonly behind their classmates physically, socially, emotionally, or cognitively.
Housing - Housing plays a critical role in providing stability to poor families. When families lack it, there are terrible consequences. Research shows that eviction can have enduring effects on families’ ability to obtain basic necessities (e.g., food, clothing, and medicine) and can cause depression among mothers, and a strong body of evidence links inadequate housing and homelessness to child abuse and neglect. Housing instability can lead to frequent school moves, high rates of absenteeism, and low test scores among children. Housing affects almost everything.
Workforce Preparation – it can be argued that work is the surest pathway out of poverty, yet far too many hard-working individuals can't make ends meet because of low wages, insufficient benefits, and few prospects for career advancement. Others face steep barriers to employment due to conviction histories or a lack of educational credentials. Workforce development programs are effective antipoverty tools when they create avenues for low-income people to gain skills and find secure, better-paying jobs. 
Possible exercise: divide class into groups/pairs with each group taking a different box on the road map. Ask the groups to brainstorm 1-2 project ideas within the theme that could impact the area as it relates to poverty. Ask groups to also identify which academic programs (majors) would be most appropriate to work on the project.

9. Cycle of Poverty Examples of Gaps SOCIAL STRUCTURAL PERSONAL
Social and life skills
Education
Public
assistance
SOCIAL
STRUCTURAL
PERSONAL
Personal: can relate to the things listed on the previous slide: lack of education, poor health, undeveloped social skills, illiteracy, etc.
Social: this speaks to the concept of generational poverty and other social/social justice issues. This could include injustices based on race, gender, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, etc. It could also relate to environmental justice, health care policy, and other policies.
Structure – this speaks to the “system” and, to an extent, a dependency issue within the public assistance system. This relates to the system in which individuals could receive assistance for things like food, housing, health care, job availability, etc.
Discussion: What are the root causes of poverty?

10. What can be done Arts & Sciences Business Education
Hospitality & Tourism Management
Health & Wellness
Safe Neighborhoods
Cultural Events
Energy Issues
Life Skills & Social Context
Drug & Alcohol Rehab Programs
NF National Heritage Area/
Discover Niagara Shuttle
Economic Development
Workforce Development
Job Coaching
Entrepreneur Training
Family Business Center
Food Marketing & Food Industry
Entrepreneurship
Small Business Development
Family Literacy Programs
Tutoring Services
Parent/Family Workshops
Developmental Disabilities Job
Placement Training
Mental Health Counseling Services
These are examples of “what can be done” within each college at Niagara University – as projects that would have an impact, positively, on communities and individuals in poverty.
Workforce Training
Expand Tourism Efforts
Community Events Planning
Children & Family Recreation Events
Community Recreation Opportunities

11. IMPACT Project Phases An IMPACT project could span… One semester
Discover
The IMPACT Program
Niagara University
Vincentian Mission
The community
Your interests, skills and goals
Plan
Plan your project!
What are the needs?
Expected outcomes?
Career skills involved?
Action
Implement the project
Gain hands-on, career related experience
IMPACT
Analyze the outcomes of your project (were they reached?)
Determine the IMPACT your project made
Commit
Graduate with a commitment to serve your community
An IMPACT project could span…
One semester
One year
Two Years
Four Years
…it all depends on the project and the needs being addressed.
To engage in projects like those listed on the previous slide, IMPACT has put together a five phase process for the development, implementation, evaluation and commitment of projects and students.
*Please read through the phases above, noting that these phases could be completed in a semester, year, multiple years or could be ongoing projects.

12. Freshmen year of IMPACT/ReNU is all about DISCOVERY!
You Will Discover:
The IMPACT/ReNU program and how it can support you throughout your time at Niagara University
The local community; its strengths and opportunities for IMPACT
Organizations in the community, the work they do, the populations they serve and the IMPACT they have
Your own personal interests, skills, goals and potential IMPACT
This is where we’d like Freshmen students to focus: on discovery – discovering who they are, what their passions/interests/skillsets are; discovering the on-campus community of service as well as the off-campus community in which service will be delivered.
IMPACT is here to support students along the way. If there is a community question to be asked/answered – we’re here to help. If a student would like to get off-campus to experience our local community and service potential within it – we’re here to help by speaking with them or even offering tours of the community.
IMPACT should be seen as a great resource for the identification of needs, the development of projects to address needs, and for the community, in general, as we have worked hard to develop lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with many people and organizations throughout our local area.

13. Learn More about IMPACT/ReNU
Interested in learning more about IMPACT/ReNU, our philosophy as a program, our model, and finding additional resources?
We have a series of five modules on Canvas – here’s how to find them!
Assignment suggestions: have students review modules and reflect on each individually and collectively.
To access IMPACT modules:
Visit > click on “Training” (PurplePass credentials required)
Through Canvas directly

14. Niagara Falls Community Tours
Save the Dates
Pizza for Progress
October 23rd, 2018
Niagara Falls Community Tours
COMING SOON
Coming soon! Keep an eye out for more details!

15. Academic Complex – Room 125
Tom Lowe
Director
Brittany DePietro
Coordinator
Contact info for program staff as well as general contact information, website and social media for the IMPACT office.
Academic Complex – Room 125
@NiagaraIMPACT