Social work graduate students Paula Wilson, Amberleia Henson, Lauren Jones, Jennifer Greenlee and Molly Vance were presented with a more innovative method toward earning their Master’s degrees. The students were asked to complete a semester long community service project by selecting a proposal submitted to GSU from various organizations around the state. Stand Up for Kids, a Fulton County Schools liaison, was selected after the ladies met the staff for an interview. Stand Up for Kids is a national program that helps to stabilize homeless children and teens who are unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.
Using a model similar to an initiative utilized in North Fulton, the graduate students began The Fulton Effect, a program designed to keep the students in school by pairing them with mentors who help teach them life skills and offer them a parent-like figure. If the program is successful, it could be implemented at two other high schools by fall of 2013. According to group member Paula Wilson, The Fulton Effect will be tested at Frank McClarin High School, an alternative school in southwest Fulton. Paula Wilson stated the six students in the program range between the ages of 15 to 17 years of age. Throughout the semester these students will receive a bi-weekly stipend in the form of a Wal-Mart gift card in to cover basic needs like food, clothing and school supplies. These students were also given a chance to describe the type of mentor they would like to have during the project. “Some of the students don’t have someone they can come home to ask them how their day went or ask them about their homework. In a way it provides a certain level of accountability”, said Wilson. When the students were asked about mentor qualities they were looking for, most said they simply wanted a caring adult. All mentors are volunteers and include retirees, college students and others from local organizations around the metro Atlanta area. They have committed to meeting with the students every other Monday and meet goals like SAT preparedness, interviewing skills and assisting with FAFSA.
Unlike most students their age, these adolescents come to school voluntarily. They also must maintain a C average and adhere to attendance policies in order to remain in the program. Wilson says Stand Up for Kids and The Fulton Effect are looking for ways to create financial sustainability in order to keep the program intact at Fred McClarin High School as well as throughout the county in the future. For more information about the program, ways to donate or to volunteer contact Kelly Fields at kellyf@standupforkids.org.
