University College

URI 101
Feinstein Enriching America Program

"The real heroes of the future will be those who reach out to uplift the lives of others."

-Alan Shawn Feinstein

Created by Alan Shawn Feinstein in 1995, the Feinstein Enriching America Program (FEAP) is the civic engagement component of URI 101. The goal of FEAP is to engage each URI first-year student in a meaningful community service activity that connects them to community around them.

During Fall 2010, over 2,500 freshmen, from roughly 135 URI 101 classes, completed over 10,000 hours of community service with 30 community agencies. From mid-September through mid-November, over 150 service projects were completed on campus and all across the state of Rhode Island. URI 101 classes participate in pre-service preparation, direct service work or advocacy, and post service reflection. URI 101 classes are organized into Learning Communities based on student major interest; projects are selected to relate to these pre-determined Learning Community focuses in order to create opportunities for students to connect and reflect. Our goal is to help students experience how civic engagement enhances awareness about the community around them. We also hope that the students are able to learn new ways to involve themselves in the community and become responsible and ethical citizens. While we hope the first year students feel like they made a difference at the conclusion of the civic engagement project, we ultimately hope they make a connection, either with their major, fellow students, the community, an social issue, their degree granting college, or the University as a whole.

What is Civic Engagement and Service Learning?

Civic Engagement is a broader concept of community involvement and awareness that can include service, advocacy, service learning, volunteerism and/or political participation. Civic Engagement can include:

Direct Service (“Volunteer focused”)

• Serving at a meal kitchen
• Helping to build affordable housing
• Tutoring a child
• Participating in town clean-up
• Joining the armed forces

Indirect Service (“Program or Issue focused”)

• Raising awareness  for issues through projects like Relay for Life and other health walks
• Making pillows or books to donate to children from low income families
• Donating $25 to Red Cross
• Raising funds for homelessness

Advocacy (“Policy Focused”)

• Organizational involvement
• Electoral participation
• Writing a letter to an elected official
• Voting

Service Learning is a type of civic engagement and experiential education that extends the walls of the classroom out into the community, creating a structured environment for students to meet community needs while applying classroom theory to practice. Students usually participate in direct community service and reflect in the classroom about that service while connecting it to larger class curriculum guidelines.

Reflection is a vital part of civic engagement and service learning because it allows students time to put their service into personal, cultural and world contexts. Through reflection activities, students learn more about themselves, others, and how things are interrelated.

Civic Engagement Leaders (CEL) are upper classmen who engage in all aspects of the URI 101 service program by partnering with a URI 101 class to lead service projects and pre- and post-reflections. CELs earn 3 CSV elective credits while enhancing their leadership and facilitation skills. CELs also work within 5 service issues areas: Business, Education, Environment, Health & Human Services. Visit the Student Leadership & Involvement page for information about this program.

Service Interns are returning Civic Engagement Leaders who are responsible for coordinating the civic engagement projects, communicating with the community partners and overseeing each team of CELs. One Service Intern leads each of the 5 service issue areas mentioned above.

Feinstein Civic Engagement Program

90 Lower College Road, Suite 12
Kingston, Rhode Island 02881

Sarah Miller, Coordinator
Roosevelt Hall Room 135
401-874-7422
Email: sgmiller@uri.edu

Clearinghouse for Volunteers

401-874-2568
Email: urivolunteers@gmail.com

Jumpstart URI

Catherine Cutlip, Site Manager
Roosevelt Hall Room 133
401-874-5539
jstartpv@etal.uri.edu

401-874-2090
jstart@etal.uri.edu