A West Virginia University alumna is carrying on a more than 50-year tradition of citizen diplomacy through the Peace Corps, and she’ll leave an important legacy for adult learners in Jamaica.
Jennie Franks, of Genesco, Ill., is completing a tour of service with the Peace Corps in St. Thomas, Jamaica. She also completed a master’s degree in wildlife and fisheries resources through WVU’s Peace Corps Masters International program in the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design.
Along the way, she’s helped high-school scientists conduct independent research through the EnvironMentors program and helped assess recreational use of West Virginia’s watersheds.
Now, she’s helping to equip an adult learning center with the tools it needs to promote literacy and life skills for vulnerable members of the community.
In addition to her primary assignment, Franks volunteers at the adult literacy center.
“We focus on basic numeracy, literacy and life skills training. The students come from low income communities and the center is their second chance at completing education to the equivalent of a high school degree,” she said.
Students are placed into four different classes depending on their education level.
“I teach a group of adult students once a week. Some who are just developing basic reading and writing skills and some who may have learning disabilities, which adds to the challenge of teaching,” Franks said.
The students typically are between the ages of 17-25 and the majority of them are male.
Resources are very limited especially because the center is not considered part of the traditional education system and doesn’t benefit from a lot of scholarships and local grants.
“Through the Peace Corps Partnership Program I was able to create a project to incorporate technology into the classroom to enhance learning and to hopefully provide a different method of teaching, especially for students with learning disabilities,” Franks said.
The Peace Corps Partnership Program was established to support sustainable grassroots projects in communities where volunteers serve.
“PCPP funding addresses capacity building initiatives in a wide variety of areas, including agriculture, environment, education, youth development, volunteerism, and the integration of information and communication technology,” said Anika Smith, programming and training specialist with Peace Corps Jamaica.
“A cornerstone of the Peace Corps approach to development is community involvement, so all PCPP funded projects must have at least 25 percent community contribution to the total project cost, with the other 75 percent crowd sourced by private sector donations,” Smith said.
After her proposal was approved by the Peace Corps, her project was posted on the Peace Corps website to receive donations through a reliable and safe source. Her friends, family and even strangers have donated to support the purchase of a projector, screen and stand, and external speakers to use in the classroom. She received a total of 21 donations from people in 13 different states.
“For the project my goal is to use videos and interactive games to assist in students learning phonics comprehension, general science, and environmental subjects,” Franks said.
The center’s goal is to see an increase in level advancement by the end of the academic year, and Franks hopes that the equipment will help create a dynamic learning environment to support that goal. Currently, the center only has two working computers for students to use.
“It may seem like a small thing to purchase a projector but it is a big thing for the students who come from economically disadvantaged rural communities,” Franks said.
Franks is acquiring the equipment and plans to start using it within the next two weeks.
In addition to her volunteer work with the literacy center, Franks is also devoting significant time to her Peace Corps “day job” as an environment volunteer working with an agriculture extension agency, Rural Agricultural Development Authority in the parish of St. Thomas.
“I assist in facilitating trainings for rural farmers and artisan fishermen in sustainable agriculture practices, food security, climate change mitigation and organizational capacity,” she said.
Franks will complete her service in Jamaica in May 2015. After that, she would like to work with a government agency in the area of natural resource management, preferably dealing with aquatic systems.
WVU’s Peace Corps Masters International program prepares graduate students with the advanced coursework, research experience and professional guidance needed to succeed in Peace Corps service and in careers related to environmental science and policy, forestry and natural resource management, and sustainable development.
Master of Science degrees are available across a broad range of WVU departments related to environmental and sustainability studies. To learn more, please contact the program at 304-293-2278 or email Todd.Petty@mail.wvu.edu.
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dw/02/12/15
CONTACT: David Welsh, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design
304.293.2394, David.Welsh@mail.wvu.edu
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