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Rural Futures Institute, UNK interns arrive for summer
McCOOK, Neb. — Two University of Nebraska-Kearney students start this week in McCook as part of a nine-week student serviceship through Rural Futures Institute .
Tyan Boyer and Collin Fleecs join six other University of Nebraska and UNK students who are making their “rural immersion” into four Nebraska communities: McCook, North Platte, West Point and York.
Each town is hosting pairs of UNL and UNK students for the week. A hybrid between service learning and traditional internships, “serviceships” provide communities with tangible results on important self-defined projects while giving students resume-building work and insight into the career and life opportunities in rural places.
Boyer and Fleecs, exercise science majors at UNK, plan to create health science education summer day camps for area youth in McCook.
The camps will provide hands-on educational environments that integrate many key skills necessary to not only improve the health of rural youth but also inspire future health professionals.
Community host teams include subject-matter experts and leadership mentors that assist with students’ major projects, connect them with volunteering opportunities and invite them to participate in community events and activities. RFI provides support and guidance throughout the nine-week serviceship experience, and all participants learn and share on behalf of rural community growth. RFI Student Serviceship was made possible in partnership with the Heartland Center for Leadership Development.
“We have had many students go into communities through RFI Student Serviceship and make a positive, significant and ongoing impact,” said Chuck Schroeder, RFI Executive Director. “But, as importantly, the students themselves gain real-world experience and build a network that influences them for a lifetime.
“It is our way of giving students a new or a first experience in a rural community, so they can be storytellers, champions and leaders for rural throughout their lives. And it gives communities specific results from the University of Nebraska.”
All student interns completed a one-week leadership training course hosted by RFI the week of May 22. They got to know their partners, learned more about their communities, gained details about their projects and held online meetings with their community host teams. NU faculty and staff, as well as community leaders, served as guest speakers, introducing the students to personal and professional development strategies as well as community development theories and practices. The students also explored Firth, Neb., and Seward, Neb., to hear from local leaders and entrepreneurs.
“I knew this was going to be a great resume-building experience for me,” said UNL agribusiness major Amber Ross. “What I didn’t realize is how much support I would have, and how much of a professional network I would build. Just the training course was an incredible experience, so I obviously can’t wait to start my projects in West Point.”