Student Community Action Network (SCAN)

ArtVan's mission is to promote equity and accessibility by delivering mobile art therapy for transformation healing to people in their communities. We work, mostly with youth, in low-income neighborhoods in Brunswick, Bath, Lewiston, Auburn, Rumford and Mexico, offering no-cost community art therapy sessions year round. We build long-term, robust relationships that help us ensure participants have the encouragement and tools they need for self-expression, artistic exploration, discovery, and healing.

Projects may include:

• Build our business donor base through grant writing and other solicitations;
• Develop up-to-date demographic profiles of the communities where we work
• Research methods and results of other community art therapy programs and how outcomes differ from clinical practices.
• Additional work would include helping us write "stories" that we use to share our work others, assisting in grant report writing, organizing our extensive photo collection, and assisting at our fall gala.

Skills Needed:

We are looking for someone with outstanding writing skills (which really means someone who likes to write!), attention to detail, and flexibility. We are a small, collaborative organization and we all work together to fulfill our mission.

College Guild provides free correspondence courses to people in prison, connecting them with a community outside prison walls, around a shared love of learning and mutual respect. We work with incarcerated people in all 50 states offering them the opportunity to get a free education via our courses.

Projects may include:

A SCAN intern will work to update and revise one of our courses during their 50 hours. Most of this work happens remotely as our curriculum is entirely online to access. The Executive Director will act as a mentor and supervise the work product.

Skills Needed:

Student should be very comfortable working in Google Drive, enjoy researching ideas and content for the course and also be extremely detail oriented. You will be working mostly on your own during this project. It involves a weekly meeting with the Executive Director to review progress, discuss ideas and ensure you are on target with your work and timeline.

HRY looks for safe and secure housing for homeless teens. We work with the schools in Bath, Brunswick, Topsham and Auburn to match a teen with a potential host home.

Projects may include:

Along with our program director, the Bowdoin student would meet with the homeless teen and help with intake, discussion of options and matching with a host home. In addition, we reach out to every one of teens and their host family at least weekly for a check in. These check-ins sometimes become mediation sessions between the hosts and teen.

Skills Needed:

Communication, patience, empathy, compassion. Good observation of human dynamics and ability to find the middle ground.

Our office strives to ensure that Maine schools are inclusive, healthy, safe, and supportive communities where every student thrives. We provide information and guidance to students, parents, administrators, educators, legislators, and other stakeholders within their focus areas. The Climate, Culture, Resilience (CCR) Team provides trauma-informed resources to develop safe and inclusive educational communities, support and opportunities for districts to create culturally responsive family engagement opportunities, and support and information for equitable educational access to homeless, foster care, and migrant students.

Projects may include:

• Opportunities for alignment and intersection across the team - the student may research and write about ways that the different projects that team members are running have opportunities for collaboration, intersect with bigger themes in education, or otherwise have mutual, interrelated impacts. For example, multilingual learners, or school-prison nexus, or educating teachers of color.
• Grant searches - the student may search databases to find relevant grants that are relevant to CCR priorities.
• Students may create curricula for different types of professional development or education needs related to migrant youth, housing insecure youth, culturally responsive family engagement, culturally responsive social emotional learning, native sovereignty, language justice, racial literacy.

Skills Needed:

The student would have a clear, critical, and/or personal understanding of the ways that education systems are directly implicated in ongoing power dynamics in the world related to race, language, citizenship, gender, ability, etc and be committed to transforming these dynamics where they reify themselves in educational systems. All 'writing' tasks related to the job could be completed as multimedia art, presentations, digital, or creative forms of communication, so people of all types of communication skills are encouraged to apply. People who enjoy thinking independently about how new ideas connect to each other, people who can go back and forth between theoretical thinking and practical thinking, people who enjoy creating, and people who have experience planning things for others and leading others are encouraged to apply.

The Merrymeeting Food Council (MFC) is a collaborative network of farms, fisheries, businesses, nonprofits, government, and individuals working together to advance the food system in the 14 towns surrounding Merrymeeting Bay. MFC seeks to advance a thriving, resilient, and equitable food system that supports the health and natural resources of our communities. Our work involves running a few core programs, convening partners organizations to work collaboratively, and communications work.

Projects may include:

Project 1: Art and food systems communications. We would like to integrate art into our food systems communications. The medium used for this project is fairly open ended and our Communications Coordinator will work with the student to determine the best project for their preferred medium. One example project could be to create images (paint, photo, drawing, etc.) that could be used in MFC's communications.

Project 2: Agricultural workforce communications and outreach. MFC runs a collaborative Farm Skills Training Program which offers a supportive pathway to farm employment. We would like to conduct interviews of area farm employees, both to uplift their role in our local food system and to share their stories with program participants. The student would work with the Farm Skills Program Coordinator and MFC Communications Coordinator to conduct interviews and share them out through MFC Communications. The student would help expand our outreach efforts to participants for the Spring '25 Farm Skills Training Program session.

Skills Needed:

For both projects, students will primarily work remotely, in person meeting frequency will depend on the alignment of MFC staff and student schedules and the project. MFC staff will meet weekly with the student and provide feedback as needed between meetings.
For project 1: We are looking for a student with strong design or artistic skills who is interested in using art to depict food system concepts.
For project 2: We are looking for a student with strong communication skills who is comfortable conducting interviews and doing program outreach.

Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program (MCHPP) is located in Brunswick, Maine and is the largest hunger relief and prevention agency in the midcoast region. Our mission is to offer dignity and empowerment by providing all members of our community with access to healthy food. MCHPP operates two facilities, our Food Access Center which includes a Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry. Our second facility, our Warehouse and Administrative Facility includes our Food Bank, Neighborhood Delivery Programs, Community Kitchen, and Gleaning Program. We serve communities in Cumberland, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, and Waldo counties.

Projects may include:

We currently have two areas of our agency that we could really use extra support with: 

• Working to support the operations in our Food Pantry by assisting to manage volunteers, supporting inventory management, and helping to create a recipe sharing system for our guests.
• Working to evaluate and build relationships with our School Pantry partners; meet with representatives from the schools to receive information on how we can better the program, take that information, evaluate it, and create potential deliveries based on that feedback.
• Additionally, the student would most likely participate in general community service work around the agency if needed; helping in a variety of programs, assisting in cleaning tasks, helping with inventory, etc.

Skills Needed:

• Must be organized and able to manage multiple projects/responsibilities
• Must have some leadership experience to oversee volunteers and interact with the community partners
• Willing to work remotely, in-person, and off-site
• An interest in food security and nonprofit work
• If over the age of 21, being comfortable driving agency vehicle if needed and is comfortable providing license information for insurance purposes
• Ability to lift 30-50 pounds either by themselves or with assistance
• Should be comfortable working independently and must enjoy fast-paced environments

The Veterans Resource Center provides a single place where Veterans and their families can receive information, assistance, referrals, and meet with community partners in a safe confidential space. We support active duty, National Guard, Veterans, retirees, and their families via walk-ins, appointments, and phone calls 9am-4pm Monday-Friday. Our staff is 100% volunteer, and the Mid-Coast Veterans Council (15 Veteran Service Organizations) reside over the Veterans Resource Center and votes on its' activities and needs.

Projects may include:

• Establishing a database/resource guide that will help volunteers refer clients appropriately. Designing marketing materials, website design, grant writing.
• Attending/creating outreach events around Veteran care/benefits (homeless standdowns, veteran events, etc.).

Skills Needed:

Self-driven, organized, good communication skills, creative thinker. Ability to maintain client confidentiality.

Driven by its mission for over 40 years, Preble Street has continuously responded to urgent and emergent social problems by meeting basic needs, developing and implementing solutions, and advocating for policies that eliminate the root causes of homelessness and hunger.

The Advocacy Team works toward solutions to the social, economic, and political systems that have historically perpetuated the inequities of our society. Our advocacy work includes community organizing, policy advocacy, and systems advocacy. The Advocacy Team comprises a Director, Supervisor, and Outreach Team Leader.

Projects may include:

This student would primarily be working with Homeless Voices for Justice (HVJ), a group of advocates with lived experience of homelessness and poverty. Each Fall, HVJ undertakes a campaign called You Don't Need a Home to Vote, which assists unhoused individuals with voter registration, voter education, and transportation to and from the polls. The goal of this project is to encourage voter engagement regardless of housing status. The student would be working primarily on the educational element of this project. This would include creating voting guides with information about who and what is on the ballot, and helping to create and distribute questionnaires that will be filled out by candidates running for office.

Skills Needed:

A student working on this project should be self-motivated, open-minded, and excited about assisting with voter education efforts in underserved communities. Ideally, the student would be familiar with Maine's voting processes, and would be able to conduct and compile independent research to help create voting guides.

Tedford's mission is to empower people to move from homelessness to home. We serve mostly Brunswick-Topsham-Bath residents but the whole region from northern Cumberland County up through Sagadahoc & Lincoln counties. Our programs include homelessness prevention/outreach, emergency shelters (2 in Brunswick), and permanent supportive housing.

Projects may include:

Throughout 2024 Tedford will be researching, developing, and/or rolling out various initiatives that a student could contribute to. These include an advocacy task force, equity audit, volunteer program, and new fundraising & communications tactics. Depending on their strengths and interests a student could contribute in various ways including research, quantitative analysis, creative work (e.g. photography, social media, video, web), and/or administrative support (e.g. events, mailings). The student will also experience working with the Board of Directors and dedicate some time building personal/professional connections with Tedford constitutents. 

Skills Needed:

Strong writing, systems thinking, and patience are the attributes that will most generally allow a student to find value in this experience. Familiarity with the sensitivities of serving vulnerable populations would be helpful. We will aim to align the student's time allocation with their interests and strengths to they can both grow and contribute meaningfully.

Teens to Trails connects Maine students to life-changing outdoor experiences, we work with 50+ middle and high schools across the state to help them host outdoor clubs where students learn life skills, make friends, build resilience, and see places that inspire them to have a thriving future, and positive relationship to the outdoors.

Projects may include (identifies skills needed):

1. Partnership Coordinator for Social Impact Revenue

Collaborate with Maine hospitality businesses to support a new mission aligned revenue stream. Create marketing materials, recruit new partners and support existing partners through phone and email communications. Track revenue vs goals. Skills - creative, entrepreneurial,IT/technical integrations, data analytics, personable communications. 

2. Outdoor Equity & Inclusion Coordinator

Support Outdoor Program Manager in designing & promoting a quarterly speaker series that shares diverse cultural perspectives on how to engage with the outdoors. Skills - understanding of DEI, personal experience beneficial, graphic/web design, reliable, thoughtful communication.

3. GIS Storymap + storytelling

Conveying the impact of time outdoors with the 50+ schools across Maine in the Teens to Trailsnetwork, including summer canoe trips along the Northern Forest Canoe Trail to submit with foundation grant reports. 

4. Nonprofit Fundraising - Development Assistant

Work with the Executive Director and Development committee (which includes a member of Bowdoin’s Advancement team) on communications showing our mission in action and promoting ways to support Teens to Trails. Manage a fundraising event at Flight Deck Brewing on November 20.  Analyze giving patterns and national philanthropic trends to propose a strategy for and assist in executing our annual appeal, released around Thanksgiving. 

The Town of Brunswick is the local municipality, and our mission is to assist residents to understand the many tasks here and run the day-to-day functions of local government. In the Town Clerk's Office, we do elections administration, vital records, and licensing to name a few. 

Projects may include:

With a Presidential Election this fall, this position would assist with administering absentee ballots, election prep and voter registration, including assisting with voter registration at the College.

Skills Needed:

Detail oriented, positive attitude, able to remain politically neutral while working our office.

It is the mission of the United Way of Mid Coast Maine (UWMCM) to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities. UWMCM is a community convener, a community partner, a funder, and an advocate that brings diverse voices together to create community change as a backbone/neutral organization. UWMCM's constituents are community members, nonprofit partners, and businesses in Brunswick/Harpswell, Sagadahoc and Lincoln counties.

Projects may include:

The student would primarily be supporting the Community Impact team at UWMCM, including Brunswick New Mainers Initiative, the Working Communities Challenge and Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) data. The team needs help with communicating/integrating data to tell a story and organizing community training/events. We are hopeful that the student could bring ideas and perspectives to explore how Bowdoin College can play a role in telling UWMCM's story and planning events for the community.

Skills Needed:

The ideal student for this opportunity will be passionate about community issues and the ability to think critically. Any student with an interest in public health, systems change, data management, or equity would be a great fit.