‘Lil ones experience college life

GC&SU hosted the second SIBS Weekend last week to encourage students and their siblings to strengthen the bond between them that often changes when one sibling moves away from home to attend college.

Director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs Allia Carter introduced GC&SU to SIBS weekend last year, modeling the event after events at other universities.

“I created this idea because we wanted to give Georgia College students the opportunity to spend quality time with their little brothers and sisters and other family members,” Carter said.

SIBS weekend offered a variety of events for students and their siblings, including a pizza party and social on Friday night titled “Dinner on your Own” and

numerous “Becoming a Part of the Community” activities on Saturday, with sessions on choosing the right college, masking art, screen painting and the Sweetwater Festival in downtown Milledgeville.

The orientation of the program was largely geared towards familiarizing siblings with preparation for college.

“We provide workshops about college; we’re trying to encourage young people to pursue a higher education, but we don’t try to make them feel like Georgia College is their only option,” Carter said. “I think it gives them a good example of college life, and hopefully they will want to come here. I also think it’s a good way for them to get to know their older siblings away from home.”

SIBS weekend also provided a community service-oriented opportunity for many college students through the Carrera-Model program.

Carrera-Model Program Coordinator Bibole Ngalamulume said the program focuses on a cohort of promising seventh graders from the community each year. The main goal of the program is to prevent teenage pregnancy, but Carrera volunteers also work to provide educational experiences for the children.

The Student Oriented Activities for Retention (S.O.A.R.) is a facet of the Carrera-Model program that provides leadership opportunities for the GC&SU community.

“The kids really enjoyed themselves, and it was definitely a beneficial experience for them to learn about the college environment, hear about the experiences from college students and be surrounded by positive role models,” Ngalamulume said. “The S.O.A.R. program gives the Carrera students an opportunity to engage with older college students and have some mentorship experiences as they move through the middle and high school years.”

Programs such as the Milledgeville Carrera-Model program have made a big difference in the lives of participating students. The Carrera-Model Program Web site states that the program has helped more than seven cities to decrease pregnancy rates and increase employment experiences, computer literacy and PSAT scores.

Freshman mass communication major Kyle Marve is a volunteer for the S.O.A.R. program who invited both of his younger brothers and a mentee of the S.O.A.R. program to SIBS weekend.

“I thought it would be a good way to introduce my siblings to what college life is actually like and just give them a taste of how independent you are when you come to college,” Marve said. “We had our mentees come stay with us for the weekend and just brought them with us, and they participated in all the activities with us that our siblings did.”

Marve said the weekend provided him with a rewarding experience that allowed him to gain experience with children.

“(S.O.A.R.) gives me good experience with dealing with children, and it’s a good way to give back and provide a role model for the middle school children.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 11 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry