Programs
V.I.T.A. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an IRS program designed to help low and moderate-income taxpayers complete their annual tax returns at no cost. Every year, beginning in December and continuing until mid-January, certified volunteers receive training from the IRS to help prepare basic tax returns for low-income residents in the Lancaster area.
International Summer Community-Based Learning Course for Credit
IST335, SPA 102 or 201 Socio-Economic Development in ECUADOR
The Ware Institute for Civic Engagement, International Studies, the Spanish and Government Departments and Social Entrepreneur Corps is pleased to offer this International CBL Course for Credit in Ecuador for two F&M credits for current students. Students will spend two weeks training at Franklin & Marshall College and eight weeks in Ecuador under the guidance of Social Entrepreneur Corps members, our partner in the field.
For more information about the Ecuador course, click on the links above or contact , Associate Dean of the College, Director of The Ware Institute.
Public Service Summer Internships (PSSI)
PSSI is an nine-week, full-time paid internship with a local non-profit organization in the summer. Internships in areas such as human services, city and county government, law and justice, education, health care, economic development, and the arts are carefully selected to match the applicant. Ten interns are selected.
Contact at the Ware Institute at 717-291-4164 if you have questions about this program.
Manheim Summer Mentoring Program
The Manheim Summer Mentoring Program is a paid summer internship that focuses primarily on the value of mentorship. Based upon the belief that individual attention and mentorship can make an important difference in children’s lives, nine interns are selected to mentor 30+ middle school children in the Manheim Central School District who are experiencing social, emotional or behavioral challenges that get in the way of their success in school.
This program is suspended in 2013.
F&M Works in Lancaster
F&M Works in Lancaster matches students who are passionate about a range of social issues with local non-profit organizations actively working to address these issues in the Lancaster community, from literacy and keeping students on track to attend college to public health and refugee resettlement services. Our goal is to provide additional support to local non-profits by supplying creative, knowledgeable and energetic interns, on a consistent, long-term basis, at no cost. In so doing, we will also expose our students to a great range of opportunities to engage in meaningful work that adds a real-world dimension to their classroom learning and helps prepare them for life after college.
Community & Public Service (CPS) Marshall Fellows
The John Marshall Fellows Program supports a limited number of students who, during their first year at Franklin & Marshall, have demonstrated unusual motivation, spirit of achievement and independence of thought. The program was created on the premise that bright, curious minds flourish best when challenged in an environment that gives highest priority to individual interests and abilities. Each John Marshall Fellow is eligible to apply for a $4000 research/travel grant to enhance the Fellow’s ability to engage in unique and personal academic pursuits, for example, supporting an on-campus research project, doing research in another country, presenting research at a professional conference, or completing a Community and/or Public Service (CPS) project. Fellows also receive special opportunities for excursions and on-campus activities. The Ware Institute is available to offer guidance to students who choose to do a CPS Marshall Fellows project.
2013 CPS Marshall Proposal Due Dates:
- February 1
- March 1
- September 6
- October 4
- November 1
For more information about putting together a CPS project proposal, click on the link above or contact , Director,The Ware Institute.
Putting it Together in the Community (PIT)
MAY 13-JUNE 14: Application Period
JUNE 28: All PIT Applicants will be advised of their status via by mail and their F&M email.
AUGUST 18-22: 2013 PIT Program takes place
Who Can Apply: Open to first-year students only
PIT: Putting It Together in the Community was created as a way to help first-year students develop meaningful bonds with other first-year students by participating in public service projects in Lancaster County as they get to know the community in which they will live during their college experience. Participants may help elementary school students prepare for the upcoming school year, or partner with Lancaster's Habitat for Humanity, or take action improving the local environment.
Alternative Spring and Winter Breaks
Alternative winter and spring breaks provide experiential educational opportunities for groups of students traveling during their school vacations to work with community initiatives that address global and local social justice, health and economic issues.
Ghana Alternative Winter Break
Honduras Alternative Spring Break Medical Mission Trip
Community-Based Learning/Service Learning
Community-Based Learning links classroom learning with educational experiences in the larger community. The primary goal is to give students a comprehensive experience in which they are able to interact with the material studied in a way that is both personally intimate and world engaging.
For more information about this type of class, click on the link above or contact Associate Dean of the College, Director of The Ware Institute.
