Bonner Leader Program

The Bonner Leader Program is an exciting opportunity for students with a passion for community service and civic engagement.

Here at Bates, our program is supported both by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and the Bonner Foundation, the national organization that oversees the eighty Bonner programs across the country. The Program’s goals are to promote opportunities for student development, learning, and engagement through community work – we do this by providing students financial and programmatic support to participate in individual and group community-based work, orientation, training, and reflection.

If this sounds interesting to you, we encourage you to apply to be a Bonner Leader!

And what will you do as a Bonner Leader?  Lots!  You’ll spend six hours each week working with community partners in the Lewiston/Auburn area.  Current Bonners participate in a wide range of activities, such as tutoring and mentoring in local schools and after-school programs, gardening, working with adult refugees, and participating in programming for senior citizens.  You will pick a specific community partner with whom to do the majority of your work over a given semester (although we encourage you to explore various options).  The work that you do can take a variety of forms, including volunteerism, academic community-based learning, or community-based research.

In addition to working in the community, Bonner Leaders spend about two hours a week together as a group, reflecting on experiences, participating in trainings to develop personal and leadership skills, and having fun.

The Bonner program begins each fall semester with a weekend retreat away from campus.  This is a time to reconnect with one another, to meet the program’s newest students, and to begin to reflect on how we would like our year to proceed.  It won’t be the only time that we leave campus.  As a Bonner, you may also participate in a yearly weeklong service trip, which takes place between the winter and short-term semesters.  In addition, there are various opportunities for interested Bonners to participate in national conferences.

Applications are no longer being accepted for the Fall 2011 term.  Please feel free to call or email with questions!

Regards,

Ellen Alcorn
Harward Center for Community Partnerships
161-163 Wood Street
Lewiston, ME 04240
ealcorn@bates.edu
207-786-8235