PEACH COUNTY, Ga. — The Fort Valley Youth Center of Excellence announced a partnership with Fort Valley State University. It's called "Project Wildcat."
Students from the College of Education and Professional Studies will use skills taught in their courses to mentor children in aftercare on a weekly basis.
The center's CEO, Belinda Baker, says it's a win for both the university and their non-profit. They say this opportunity opens a door for future first-generation students who are considering furthering their education after high school.
"Some of the children are in families that have never attended college, have not gotten beyond high school education," Baker said. "So now they get a chance to one on one talk to them and then they learn that it's a possibility for them to even attend college."
Travis Barnes, FVSU junior and middle grades education major, is an aspiring middle school teacher. He said he's looking forward to being apart of the new partnership.
"It'll give me exposure with kids and then also it'll help me to understand the knowledge and the science behind the student's mind and their reading and their fundamental skills," Barnes said.
Baker said she hopes being mentored by students like Barnes will inspire the younger kids in the after school program.
"I just see this just being an opportunity to just open their minds and allow them as children to dream and then we're there to help mold and mentor them to make it a reality because at some point," Baker said.
Beth Day-Hairston, Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at Fort Valley State University, says it'll provide a training ground for their students.
"This space provides an opportunity for our candidates to provide tutoring opportunities, mentoring opportunities, provide communication with families," Day-Hairston said.
FVSU students will accompany instructors from the university, who will serve as assistant teachers throughout Project Wildcat.
Baker also says It'll be a team effort and a learning experience for her staff.
"I can see my program and my staff even growing from them in the classroom and learning their techniques and watching and supporting them because we all to work together on this," Baker said.
She said they'll be tracking success of the program and will measure data, a year from now and hopes it'll grow large enough to extend an invitation to other academic departments and colleges at FVSU.
Barnes said even when the program ends for him, he hopes the connections wont.
"I hope to have lifelong connections with these students and I want them to be familiar faces," Barnes said. "I look forward to coming back and doing multiple things with them so that I can grow with them because that's kind of like my philosophy with teaching."
Baker said their still looking for younger students to join the after school program, especially middle schoolers, adding if you're student is enrolled in a school in Peach County, they will provide transportation.
FVSU and youth center board members kicked off the partnership with an memorandum of understanding signing. Both groups held a joint open house, Thursday.