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Americorps retention project

The Retention Project, a Washington Campus Compact (WACC) and ORCC AmeriCorps program, places full-time AmeriCorps Members on college and university campuses for 11 months to establish or expand mentoring programs. The AmeriCorps Retention Project Members act as connection builders between institutions of higher education and their surrounding communities. Retention Project Members build, support, and develop the capacity for ORCC member institutions and their students to participate in meaningful mentoring opportunities, develop professional skills, and engage in service to the community.

Program Goals
  • Improve retention and academic advancement rates of middle school, high school, and college students who are at-risk of dropping out of school by providing them with a college student mentor and engaging them in service-learning activities.
  • Improve retention and academic advancement of college students by engaging them in mentoring and other service-learning activities.
  • Develop civic and work force skills of all students.
Retention Project Members
  • Work with college/university faculty and administrators to recruit college/university students to mentor middle school, high school, and/or college students who are at-risk of dropping out of school (mentees) to overcome the barriers to academic achievement and advance along the educational continuum.
  • Provide training to college student mentors to help them work more effectively with their mentees and to develop civic and work force skills.
  • Develop long-term sustainable partnerships between colleges/universities and middle and high schools, and between academic departments and programs to improve college access and success of all students.
  • Develop service-learning opportunities in the community for mentors and mentees for the purpose of improving academic achievement, and cultivating strong civic and workforce skills and attitudes of the participants.
Learn More
Questions?
Contact retention@oregoncampuscompact.org.
The AmeriCorps Retention Project has allowed our students to give back to their community while at the same time developing themselves as student leaders, helping our institution to not only better serve our current students, but also to prepare to serve our students of tomorrow.  The culture of student leadership that this program has already developed will have a lasting impact on our institution and community.”
– AmeriCorps Retention Project Supervisor at Chemeketa Community College, 2010-2011