I am a rising Junior at Lafayette College, majoring in Social Justice and Quantitative Literacy. Through the Lafayette College America Reads program as well as the Landis Community Outreach center, I have spent time tutoring and mentoring youth in Easton.  The friendships I have formed with the youth is what first incited my commitment to the community.  Interaction with these young people not only drew my attention to the broader social issues Easton faces, but made them personal and instilled a passion in me to both understand and address these issues. This summer, I hope (and have already begun) to learn about the community dynamics of the West Ward. As part of the K.I.C. goes Global initiative, I hope promote collaboration among organizations that that provide services to youth and to better understand both the assets and need of the community.

Hi,

My name is Pooja Shah and I am a rising junior next fall. I am a double major in Economics and Art. This summer I am a ‘community fellow’ and will be working with Alyssa and Leroy on building collaboration between different organizations that work with youth in the west ward. We are searching for common ground among these organizations so they may better  serve the community at large. We are trying to find programs for the youth and young teens to empower them, especially during this summer. Apart from that, we will be working with the Summer Nights program that will begin on June 22. We will help organize activities for the Easton community in the park.

Wasup,
My name is Leroy Butler and I am sophomore Linebacker on the Lafayette football team. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in anthropology and sociology. I will be apart of the Urban Ecology project this summer. I will be working with Alyssa and Pooja in both the westward and south side of Easton developing programs and recreation for the youth in the communities. I personally specialize in empowering the youth and giving them the insight and guidance to be successful. So far this summer I have been outreaching to teens in gangs and what society likes to call “at-risk” teens. My goal is to make hands on difference in the community and go beyond the ideas and plannings to make a difference.

Hey :>!!

My name is LA Block and I am a rising sophmore at Lafayette College.  This summer as a community fellow, Courtney, Michael, and I will be partnering with the West Ward Neighborhood Partnership.  Thus far, we have been taking photos and doing visual appearance checklists of various commercial and residential blocks in the area.  Early July, we plan to begin surveying residents living in the West Ward.  Through these surveys, we hope to gain a better sense of what residents think of their community–both the positive and the negative.  We wish to use these results for a “before and after” comparison of this amazing community.

Six Lafayette College students are spending the summer  as Community Scholar Fellows in the West Ward of Easton, PA.  This blog is a record of their experiences, their questions, and well, just their wanderings.