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Humanities Gives Back Junior Fellows Project

The Junior Gaines Fellow's Engagement Project requires the conception and presentation of a project that enhances the civic culture of a community: UK's campus, Lexington, or the Fellow's hometown. The focus may be further afield: projects enhancing the culture of communities regionally, nationally, or internationally.

The project should either add value to a community or solve a problem in a community. The object is to design and carry out the project whenever possible. Volunteering may be a part of the project, so long as the volunteer time is spent in service of the project's larger design.

Ultimately, each jury project should:

  • have specific goals and measurable outcomes
  • be compelling enough to result in real, positive change within the community
  • be a feasible service venture that will contribute to your personal growth

 

More Details

Past Projects

To highlight the breadth of service projects you may consider, below are a few examples of Junior Fellows' past service projects: 

  • "Establishing a Scholarship for Refugee Women at UK," Hadeel Abdallah '19
  • "Building Classroom Aquaponics Systems: A Workshop for KY Schoolteachers," Meghana Kudrimoti '19
  • "See Blue Differently: An Artistic Response to the O’Hanlon Mural and Unconscious Bias at UK," Hayla Ragland + Natalie Malone '18
  • "Healthy House: Illustrated Children’s Book and Lesson Plans for Good Health Practices," Katherine Stockham '18
  • "Enhancing Credit for Prior Learning Options for UK Veterans Proposal," Natalie Watkins '17
  • "This Week in Video Games: A Podcast Series with Blue Grass Area Game Developers," David Cole '17

Click here to read more on past service projects by Junior Fellows. 

Project Proposal

Before starting, each Junior Fellow must submit a project proposal. This assignment is intended to help you clarify for yourself, and for your jury, the nature of your project, its challenges, and its primary objectives.

Although some changes may be made to the project concept after this proposal is submitted, the proposal serves as your commitment to the project’s goals. 

The proposal should be four to five pages, double-spaced, and address the following: 

  • Background - What sparked your interest? What is the problem you are trying to solve?
  • Project Description - How does the project enhance the community you've chosen?
  • Project Leaders - Who are you working with? What is the division of labor?
  • Schedule - What is the timeline for organizing and implementing your project?
  • Budget - What expenses are likely to be needed? What are some potential funding sources?
  • Potential Jurors - Who are you working with on the project? How does their area of expertise contribute? If you've not yet selected, what kind of guidance do you need?
  • Sources - What references inform your project?

Click here for more details.

Final Assignment & Evaluation

Jury project essays will be due to your entire committee seven days before your presentation.

If you are working as a team, only one essay is needed. It may be jointly authored or authored by one team member, so long as it reflects the work of the entire team fairly; it will bear all team members’ names regardless of how many team members write the essay.

The essay should be 7-10 pages long. As for content, it should lay out your goals, explain how the project serves and accomplishes those goals, and situate your project in both academic and field-based contexts.

To better understand expectations and assignment evaluation, Junior Fellows are encouraged to read the following:

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