The University of Connecticut received a $100,000 project grant award from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields program (CFDA 10.318).
The grant will support the development and implementation of an experiential learning and student recruitment, retention, and educational equity program focused on food, agriculture, natural resources, and human dimensions. Key activities include integrating marginalized undergraduate students as mentors in the university's Conservation Ambassador Program to incorporate culturally responsive recruitment and programming. Mentors will co-develop and co-facilitate hands-on field experiences for up to 48 marginalized teens. Teens will then be co-mentored to develop and implement 10-month community projects addressing relevant local issues. Research will explore how near-peer mentors and service learning impact outcomes related to self-efficacy, interest, and career goals among participants. The program aims to cultivate a corps of empowered marginalized youth with holistic understanding and solutions for their rural communities.
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