Students in Sociology 240 - Community: People in Places complete PATH Training

As part of Sociology 240 (Community: People in Places) students were encouraged to participate in the PATH training program and become a volunteer for the PATH (Providing Access to Help) program which links people to services in central Illinois. In an effort to encourage this participation, students were given the option of writing their second required research paper on their experiences volunteering with PATH rather than writing on the more conventional research topic assigned in class.

A staff member from PATH spoke to the class at the beginning of the Fall 2006 semester about the experience and students were also made aware of additional benefits, such as internship credits, that may be linked to this volunteer opportunity. Although PATH requires a considerable time commitment over a period of 6 months, combining this volunteer opportunity with opportunities for meeting course requirements resulted in about 9 students training to become PATH volunteers in the Fall 2006 semester. As a result of this positive experience for both the students and PATH, the plan is to continue the experience into future semesters.

Contact information:

Joan M. Brehm
Sociology and Anthropology