The Downtown Education Collaborative Receives Ford Foundation Funding

LEWISTON, Maine — The Downtown Education Collaborative (DEC), a local partnership of seven academic and community institutions, is delighted to announce that it was recently awarded a grant by the Ford Foundation in support of its work in downtown Lewiston. “This grant goes a long way to ensuring we can meet our core needs for the next two years,” says a delighted David Scobey, one of the members of DEC’s Steering Committee and the Director of the Harward Center for Community Partnerships at Bates College. The grant, from a leading national and international foundation, is an affirmation of the work that DEC, as a collaborative, has been able to undertake with and within the community, and the unique model of collaboration it envisioned and now embodies.

DEC recently opened the doors of its storefront center at 219 Lisbon Street at its Grand Opening celebration in November. “It was exciting to see the storefront space come to life and be filled with the energy and enthusiasm of community members and partners,” says Sherry Russell, the newly hired Director of DEC. The Grand Opening was accompanied by the launch of a photo gallery exhibit entitled “Envisioning Lewiston” featuring photos and writing about Lewiston by local area business people, residents of all ages, and college students. Seeing the photos and stories of Lewiston on the walls of DEC was a celebration of Lewiston and of the community helping to create DEC. “We learned about the history and beauty of Lewiston and the great pride and frustration felt towards the city. More than that we learned about the power of visual storytelling and the synergy and excitement that surrounds a project rooted in the community,” commented Erin Reed, the Americorps VISTA Volunteer for DEC.

In addition to activities held at the storefront center (community forums and project work, college class meetings), DEC has launched several projects in the community. Two examples include an after school homework help program for teens, supported by funds from Androscoggin Bank’s MainStreet Foundation, and a project that seeks to bridge the digital divide that exists in the downtown, funded by a grant from the Bank of America. The after school project includes a homework help program at the Lewiston Public Library and, in collaboration with Lewiston Adult Education, an after school support program at the high school. The program, at both sites, has been well received and is succeeding almost beyond capacity. The after school support project has had an impact on the college students who work there as well as the teens themselves. Terri Howard, an Andover College Student who is also an After School Program Tutor and Coordinator, said recently “For me, the Downtown Education Collaborative is Lewiston. What we do for these children in the afterschool homework help program has been more fulfilling in my life than anything else I have ever done.”

The Bridging the Digital Divide project staffs two computer labs in downtown Lewiston to ensure that residents have access to the Internet, and to provide one-on-one mentoring and assistance with computer skills, conducting on-line job searches, accessing essential information on-line, and using programs such as Maevis Beacon to improve typing skills. Marcy Winslow, an Andover College Student who is one of the Computer Lab Mentors said, “By being apart of the Digital Divide program I feel like I am allowing people to gain the necessary skills to find jobs and to feel really good about themselves in the process.” Her work at the Computer Labs has brought her into downtown Lewiston and into contact with the community. She’s come to value Lewiston, “My favorite thing about the downtown is the diverse group of people you meet. The people are kind, friendly, and hardworking people. They make me happy to be a part of this community.”

The Downtown Education Collaborative strives to bring resources into the community, but in so doing, enriches all involved. A Bates College student, Courtney Phillips, who has been an active member of DEC’s activities in downtown Lewiston, commented on how her involvement in the community has affected her, “The Downtown Education Collaborative has meant the world to me. Tutoring Lewiston students, interacting with the community and learning everyone’s unique story has pushed me to ask myself the tougher questions in life and really analyze the world around me. The Photovoice Project was incredible and I am grateful not only for the beautiful finished product now displayed in DEC’s office, but also for the time I got to spend with various members of the community learning about their stories. DEC became my second family and I hope to work on more exciting projects like Photovoice in the future.” We invite the community to visit us at 219 Lisbon Street, to view the photo gallery, to learn more about DEC’s activities and initiatives, and to tell us your ideas and thoughts.

DEC is a collaborative dedicated to combining the resources, ideas, and energy of its member colleges and organizations to contribute in partnership with the community to the revitalization of downtown Lewiston. DEC’s academic and institutional membership includes the four Colleges of the Androscoggin — Andover College, Bates College, Central Maine Community College, and the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston Auburn College — as well as the Lewiston Public Library, Lewiston Adult Education and Empower Lewiston. Bates College, as the fiscal agent for DEC, will administers grants on DEC’s behalf.