DES MOINES, Iowa - It's called "The College Experience" - a course for incoming Des Moines Area Community College students that orients them to their new life at the school as well as the need for community service work.

This year, said instructor Nicole Hardin, her students decided to pay tribute to the 19 firefighters who died last month during the wildfires in Arizona by planting a flower garden at a local fire station. She said the aim is to make people better citizens as well as better students.

"How this class can make you more well-rounded is the fact that we talk about diversity. We talk about learning styles," she said. "We talk about service projects, and getting into the community and volunteering your time."

Organizations in the community also can suggest service projects, she said, and then it's up to the class to decide which ones to do.

"We would love to hear the community come in and say, 'Hey, help us out with this project.' I think as an instructor, I would love that," she said, "so I can bring something to my class and say, 'Look, this organization wants our help. Do you guys want to volunteer your time there?' "

Hardin said each class comes up with a project. Some have organized winter coat drives while others have had food drives for local charities.




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Some Virginia groups are choosing to offer support to pro-Palestine student protestors.

Recent weeks have seen more than 100 arrests of protestors on Virginia college campuses. Many are demanding their schools stop investing in companies supporting Israel in its war in Gaza, although critics point out it would be more difficult than many people assume.

LaTwyla Matthias, executive director of Progress Virginia, said along with knowing their rights, protestors can stay safe in many ways.

"Don't talk to the police without an attorney present," Matthias outlined. "Make sure that they have food, water, medication, in case they do get detained or arrested; make sure that they're wearing a mask because we've been getting reports of gassing."

The Southwest Virginia Young Democrats have asked people to contribute to a fund for bail for protestors who are arrested. Gov. Glenn Youngkin has said he supports peaceful protests, but stressed that encampments and intimidation of Jewish students on college campuses won't be tolerated.

A report from a nonprofit group tracking armed conflicts and events shows most student protests since the Israel-Hamas war began last October have been peaceful. Only since April have protests involving students outnumbered those of other groups.

Matthias voiced concerns school administrators are not doing enough to ensure students' First Amendment rights, especially when they call in law enforcement. She thinks they should take a different approach.

"They should be cultivating an environment where the students can protest and speak their minds," Matthias asserted. "The students are in the care of the university that they attend so they really should be protecting the students from harassment and intimidation."

In Congress, U.S. House members are asking college and university presidents to testify before the chamber's Education and Workforce Committee on their handling of protests. So far, the presidents of Yale, the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of Michigan have been called before Congress.


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Connecticut groups are still addressing the pandemic's aftermath. Along with connecting residents to vital services, United Way of Connecticut is also helping them deal with mental health challenges.

Once the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline adopted the shortened number 988, calls increased. The challenge of answering thousands of calls is being met through the United Way of Connecticut.

Lisa Tepper Bates, president and CEO of the nonprofit, said the pandemic presented pros and cons for what she could accomplish.

"It forced us to think in new ways, to learn new ways to work, and at the same time maybe set back some efforts," Tepper Bates recounted. "Because we just couldn't work on them while we had to address the needs that people had during the height of the pandemic."

Building health care connections for residents is what lies ahead. Tepper Bates noted rising costs for basic needs are leading to physical health declines. She explained the United Way of Connecticut's future work will center around working with health care providers to better connect people with support to meet their needs, which can reduce certain health care costs.

Tepper Bates pointed out much of United Way of Connecticut's work is ongoing. A particular focal point is helping ALICE residents -- Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed -- who are struggling to make ends meet. In her time with the organization, she said she has learned about resilience from people United Way serves.

"There are a lot of folks in our state who I think are, every day, managing very challenging situations, and yet are so resilient," Tepper Bates observed. "I think that's what, to me, is always inspiring: people who are making it work."

Other work to help ALICE families is advocating for a state child tax credit. DeDeclines in child poverty and other benefits came from expanding the federal credit, which has since shrunk to pre-pandemic levels.

The United Way of Connecticut has been vocal about the work, leading Tepper Bates to receive several honors, including an award from Connecticut Voices for Children later this month.

Cities and towns across Massachusetts hope to increase young voter turnout in local elections by lowering the voting age to sixteen or seventeen. Somerville, Northampton, Southborough and Concord are just a few of the municipalities which have attempted but failed to secure state approval.

State Sen. Becca Rausch, D-Needham, said allowing young people to vote on local matters helps ensure they'll keep voting throughout their lives.

"That voting power fosters a real sense of civic duty and does in fact encourage higher turnout rates among young adults," she said.

Opponents contend teenagers lack the ability or motivation to fully understand what's at stake in an election. But Rausch points to Takoma Park, Maryland, where the turnout rate for sixteen and seventeen-year olds exceeded that of any other age group for the first election in which they were allowed to vote.

Rausch is sponsoring legislation to allow Massachusetts' municipalities to lower their voting age for local elections without approval from the state legislature but it's been tabled for the session. She says it's just one of a few issues where home rule gets in the way of local autonomy. Still, she said young people are already engaged in local issues, often related to their schools, and many students hold jobs and pay local taxes.

"And they are active members of every community I represent, and they are both contributors to and beneficiaries of community and local government services," she continued.

Rausch added the effort is part of civics education, which was solidified as a centerpiece of K-12 education in Massachusetts in 2018, and which received a significant funding boost from the state legislature this past year.


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