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Learning at NIC? It takes a Village Project

by TARYN THOMPSON/tthompson@cdapress.com
| August 14, 2014 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - They recruited high school dropouts from the streets, tattoo parlors and the Skate Park and put them into villages.

Statistically, only 1 in 20 should have succeeded, but almost all did.

"They didn't just perform better than expected," said Kylene Lloyd, a North Idaho College adviser and analyst. "They performed better than average," with higher GPAs and more credits completed than a typical NIC student.

After three years of research and pilots, NIC this year is launching The Village Project and expanding the scope of the program to include more students. The yearlong program aims to bolster student success rates by grouping participants into small "villages" with fellow students.

Villagers go to class together, learn study and life skills and have peer mentors and advisers providing encouragement and a safety net along the way, said Molly Kreyssler, director of the Continuous Enrollment Initiative. They also lean on each other.

"They're their own support network," Kreyssler said.

The 75 students participating in the Village Project met on campus Wednesday for the first time, getting to know fellow villagers through icebreakers, games and a shared meal. The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation provides more than a half-million dollars in grant funding for the Village Project.

"I think it's helpful for people just starting out," said Kia Zundel, 19, a student from southern Idaho. "There are so many resources."

Carisa Cole, 43, a single mother and "displaced housewife," is a former participant turned peer mentor.

Going back to school was intimidating, Cole said. Kreyssler helped recruit her into the program.

"They knew I had the potential to succeed," she said. "They pulled me under their wing."

Cole said she relied on her support network through the program for "tutoring, advising and just listening."

For Jared Powell, the program provided him with resources and tools to cope with learning disabilities associated with Attention Deficit Disorder.

"I wanted to figure out a way for it to click a little better for me," he said. "I said, 'Let's go with it and see what happens.'"

What happened was a jump in his GPA - from 2.7 to 3.5. He earned two As and a B.

The 20-year-old has his sights set on becoming an elementary school teacher.

Grant funding for the program will allow the Village Project to serve 500 students over the next three years, starting with 75 students this year and growing each year after.

Cole is excited to give back, helping others succeed just as she was helped.

"I see a lot of success stories," she said. "In this program, we can help everyone."