AU students' work has affected every corner of D.C., President Neil Kerwin said when he accepted an award on behalf of the university for its involvement with Facilitating Leadership in Youth last night.
FLY is a mentorship program AU students founded nine years ago that matches underprivileged children in and around the Barry Farm public housing community in Anacostia with mentors and volunteers. Many of the mentors are AU students, according to Anne Wiseman, a member of FLY's board of directors.
FLY Program Director Abby Parker said AU students' involvement is a crucial part of the program.
"It was started by AU students," she said. "From there it developed into what it is today, with AU students fueling the programming, the mentoring, pretty much a huge portion of FLY."
FLY Co-founder and Executive Director Charise Van Liew said FLY would not have gotten off the ground if it weren't for AU's support.
"This all could happen because we were all students with dreams and we didn't have resources," she said. "But we had the university who had resources to support our goals and our intents to really get out there and make a difference and be involved with some young people who are just incredible."
Keagoe Stith, a junior at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts who is a FLYouth representative and member of the program's board of directors, said he felt his AU mentors were a positive influence on him.
"It helped me become a more well rounded person," he said. "I might want to go to AU actually."
AU FLY President Zach Schwartz said being a FLY mentor is an inspiring experience.
"I think for many AU students the culture shock between what they're used to in the northwest corner and at home versus what the kids in Barry Farm have to live with, just really inspires a lot of people and that's just really kept me involved," he said.
Schwartz said the FLY club has approximately 65 members and now is very active.
Kerwin said he was very proud of FLY's work.
"It's my honor to be here tonight," he said. "FLY is now established in the District of Columbia. FLY is a concept I would imagine some day will find its away across the United States. I want to remind you that the work they're doing is as fundamental as anything done anywhere in education"
