Ice-Cream Social and Journaling at NMU

by Erica McMillan for MarquetteMagazine.com

Melissa Orzechowski, center, and other NMU students from the Student Leadership Fellowship Program guide kids from the community in creative journaling as part of a academic service learning project meant to promote literacy and writing with children. The event took place at the NMU student activities building in Marquette, MI on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)

Marquette, MI, Nov. 19, 2013 – Ice-Cream Social and Journaling at NMU

The Ice-Cream Social and Journaling event at NMU was a huge success! Over 50 kids showed up for the workshop held to promote literacy and writing for elementary age students.   The event was put on by the Student Leadership Fellowship Program (SLFP)in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters as one of their academic service learning projects for the current semester.

NMU Instructor, Jon Barch (left) passes out magazines to kids who turned out for the creative journaling and ice-cream social workshop held by participants from the Student Leadership Fellowship Program at NMU in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Marquette, MI on Tues. Nov, 19, 2013. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)

The event was meant to promote personal journaling activities in kids to help them with their creative writing skills by learning through their own thoughts and feelings.  The SLFP students who led the workshop used the popular “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book series to introduce the kids to the concept of creative writing and using pictures and drawing as a means of journaling as well.  NMU SLFP leader Matthew Lewis felt the kids were very engaged in the activities and responded with a lot of enthusiasm.

Abby Roberst of the NMU Student Leadership Fellowship Program speaks about the Ice-Cream Social and Journaling event for kids that she helped to conceptualize and coordinate along with Big Brothers Big Sisters on Tuesday Nov. 19, 2013 in Marquette, MI. (Marquettemagazine.com photo by Soullenz.com)

After discussing journaling strategies kids received journals which they got to decorate by drawing, writing, and cutting out pictures from magazines.  This activity was followed up with an ice-cream social where they made creations of another kind… sundaes!

Killian Larkin cuts out magazine pictures to paste into his new journal during a special event to encourage writing and literacy with kids at NMU in Marquette, MI, Nov. 19, 2013. The event was sponsored by the NMU Student Leadership Fellowship Program and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The NMU Student Leadership Fellowship Program organizes and hosts many community based events throughout the school year.  Those accepted into the course develop skills in leadership theories in addition to their major areas of focus. Concepts about positive social change and problem solving are put into practice by creating engaging events for community members.

Those interested in more information about the program and upcoming events planned by the SLFP students can go to the NMU website: www.nmu.edu.slfp

by marquette_magazine