Students who participate in Project Affinity receive room, board and a living stipend.
They also can opt to earn academic credit for the experience as an internship.
Project Affinity Immerses Students in Real-World Societal Issues
Through the experience, students learn the importance of valuing diversity, defining societal issues and assuming leadership roles in becoming catalysts of change.
In keeping with the goal of learning through immersion, the students utilize public transportation, budget their food expenditures, shop at thrift stores and spend free time interacting with neighbors and the surrounding community.
In addition, they volunteer at community service agencies and meet with BW faculty, administrators and staff to discuss social justice issues.
Gaining Awareness
For many participants, awareness is a core component of the program. Students explore community issues like homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, mental health, HIV/AIDS and abuse.
But Project Affinity is more than a study in sociology. Its impact comes from the perceptual barriers that are broken down and insights that are gained through interactions with individuals who are challenged, neighborhoods that are shifting, and agencies that are transitioning to meet the needs of their clients.
Expanding Scope
Through their community service experiences, Project Affinity students delve into real-world issues associated with politics, healthcare, labor, environment, citizenship and more.
In addition, they learn the day-to-day work of service-focused career fields. They also can boost their resumes, make networking contacts and have the option of earning internship credit.
When the eight weeks end, the students leave behind a multi-level house located in an urban setting. But they take with them a lifelong lessons that can be used personally, professionally and socially.