For two Goucher students, time away from campus is not necessarily time outside the classroom, or at least the school setting. Ted Domers, '05 and Lindsay Johnson, '05 are both conducting senior projects that involve interaction with Baltimore City youth.

Domers spends three hours every Wednesday with tenth graders at Baltimore Freedom Academy (BFA), a Baltimore City Public "innovation high school". Together, they are working on a project called "Construct Your Education." Their aim is to advocate for classes in more subjects, from Spanish to home economics to drama, to be available in the school, which currently offers few electives because it has only been in existence for two years. The students' current task is to research reasons the school should offer the courses. Later in the year, they will present their arguments to the school's administration.

"By having the students involved in changing their school, I believe that will gain a stronger connection to the school, and increase their motivation to learn," Domers said. Of the school, he said, "BFA is different from other schools because of the small school atmosphere and the value placed on civil advocacy. This makes my project not only feasible, but encouraged."

Domers' project connects to several of his more traditional academic pursuits. The project originated through the Juvenile Law Clinic at the University of Maryland Law School where Domers is taking an internship-based class with Professor Susan Leviton. One of the options is to teach at BFA. Domers and other students teach a class titled Students and the Law.

"There are legal aspects to the project because the theory of having students autonomously direct their education needs to be incorporated into more educational policy," said Domers. "With a great deal of educational policy determined by lawmakers, it is very important for lawyers and public advocates to understand the nature in which students learn."

In addtion, Domers' senior thesis, with Associate Professor of Psychology Brian Patrick, explores effective ways to engage elementary school students, and the impact of engagement on achievement. Although he is working with older students at Baltimore Freedom Academy, he describes the project as a "solution" to his thesis because it is "a hands-on example of how students perceived autonomy, competence and relatedness to their school will increase their interest in learning."

Johnson's project focuses on educating youth from another angle: that of the arts. ARTBeat's aim is to give teens in Baltimore City a space to practice the arts within their own communities. The art forms involved include poetry, visual arts, theatre, and music.

"ARTbeat, in its original form was mostly theatre-based," said Johnson. Based on the interests of the students as well as the backgrounds of the volunteers, it now focuses more on the visual arts. "This program combines academics from theatre, education, sociology, art, peace studies, psychology, philosophy, and more," said Johnson. "This fully connects to many of Goucher's ideals about expanding the boundaries of a traditional education. When working with a program like ARTbeat, you see your academic work coming to life."

ARTBeat started with an assignment for a theoretical non-profit arts organization in Economics and Management Lecturer Allison Lohr's Introduction to Arts Administration class. The assignment provided an answer to Johnson's question of how her Interdisciplinary major in Peace Education through the Arts would culminate. Lohr gave Johnson clearance to begin designing a real program. "Much of the program design was rooted in that course," said Johnson.

One she had developed the program idea, Johnson met with Associate Professor of Peace Studies Jennifer Bess, Associate Professor of Peace Studies Seble Dawit, Education Instructor LaJerne Cornish, and Associate Professor of Political Science Rob Koulish to make further plans.

Johnson applied for and received the Cohen-Fineman Student Service-Learning Award in Spring 2004. In early Fall '04, Koulish put Johnson in contact with the Baltimore Youth Congress (BYC), an after school project run by Community Law in Action (CLIA).

ARTBeat now works with BYC's high school students. The program meets at Goucher's new Old Goucher Neighborhood Collaborative at 2526 North Charles Street in Baltimore every Thursday afternoon and evening.

"I find the best part of this whole process is working with the youth," said Johnson. "I have to say that when I hear people ask me about working with 'inner-city' kids, I cringe a little. That term is so demeaning to the youth I work with. Yes, they live in and attend school in Baltimore city, but they are far from deficient. They are full of life and energy and positive attitudes. They want to make Baltimore into a better city for themselves and their little brothers and sisters and cousins. They work hard to research the school funding dilemma, health care issues, and other important humanitarian issues that affect low-income families in Baltimore City and they use that information in their art. They write powerful poetry and have these strong voices that are bound to make social change wherever life takes them."

ARTBeat served as the service-learning project for Adjunct Instructor of Art Pam Thompson's Art in the Community class in Fall '04. Other volunteers recruited by Johnson include Emma Douglas, '05, who served as co-director last fall through an independent study with Bess, Sophie Manekin, '05, Arthur Weiss, '08, Liz Hoffmann, '05, Donnie Beal, '05, Erin Wright, '07, Jess Garman '06, Faith Karg, '07, and Alex Ebstein, '07.

"The goal this semester is for Lindsay to develop plans to make ArtBeat sustainable after she graduates," said Koulish. "It is our hope that it will continue to be integrated into the curriculum. Hopefully it will become an institutionalized part of the Collaborative."