The Community Advocates Program
Community n. [kuh-myoo-ni-tee]: A social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.
Advocate n. [ad-vuh-kit, -keyt]: A person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc.
Community Advocate: A civically-minded college student who, through learning about the Gainesville community, may contribute more positively to it and gain greater awareness of their role in the world outside of the college realm, thus enhancing and creating a more well-rounded living experience.
In other words, a Community Advocate is anyone who cares about their community. This person is YOU.
This program provides real-life learning opportunities for you to become more engaged with your community. The 8-week course takes place in various settings in the Gainesville community and is taught by actual city employees including members of the Gainesville Police Department, the University of Florida Police Department, and City Officials in partnership with UF Off Campus Life (OCL) and Santa Fe College staff.
In addition to learning about resources and services that affect your daily living, students who complete the 8-week course and a community service project receive a $200 book scholarship. We give the book scholarship to reward you for your time invested in this program. The $200 may be an enticing incentive, but the real take-away is the invaluable knowledge that you will gain through this program.
An online application is available. Interested persons should send their application no later than 5:00PM on Friday, January 15, 2010. The first day of the program is Wednesday, January 20, 2010. All weekly Wednesday classes will be from 6:30-8:30PM.
Class Schedule, Topics, and Location
| Class 1 | January 20 | Safety and Crime Prevention | Gainesville Police Department |
| Class 2 | January 27 | Fire Safety | Gainesville Fire Station #3 |
| Class 3 | February 3 | Community Service | TBD |
| Class 4 | February 10 | Victim Advocates and Sexual Predator Awareness | The University of Florida Police Department |
| Class 5 | February 17 | Alcohol and the Community | The Thomas Center |
| Class 6 | February 24 | Civic Engagement | City Hall |
| Class 7 | March 3 | City Codes and You | TBD |
| No Class-Spring Break- March 8-12 | |||
| Class 8 | March 24 | Community Advocates Reception | TBD |