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(ARA) - Learning doesn’t just happen inside a
classroom. For The Art Institutes, learning is also
creating opportunities for students and faculty to take
their talents and skills outside the classroom, into
the community, to help others.
This year, The Art Institutes will hold its second
national “webraising” event, with schools
throughout North America participating. Based on the
Amish concept of a barnraising where neighbors gather
together and build a barn in one day, webraisings build
websites for nonprofit organizations in one 24-hour
period.
Webraising is just one of dozens of volunteer efforts
that some 5,000 students from The Art Institutes take
part in each year, contributing more than a quarter
million hours toward improving the communities in which
they live and attend school.
For a webraising event, students and faculty of the
Multimedia and Web Design departments of The Art Institutes
work closely with nonprofit organizations several weeks
in advance, conducting research, learning about the
organization and the population it serves, and the purpose
of its Website. They then work for a period of 8 to
10 hours to meet the launch deadline date.
"Webraisings are a unique opportunity for Multimedia
and Web Design students to put their skills to work
creating a critical marketing and communication tool
for these non-profit organizations that they otherwise
might not have the resources to create for themselves,”
says Dr. Ameeta Jadav. She is coordinating the current
effort underway.
In fact, many students who have participated in webraising
events have continued to be involved with the organization
as volunteers and Web site managers.
For Art Institute of Atlanta student Robert Horton,
the experience of helping to raise a Web site for a
local arts organization was overwhelmingly positive.
“I liked the whole experience working with my team
members and the organization representative,” says
Horton. “My participation means a lot to me; it
says that I'm a part of something that's productive."
“While the goals of the event are to develop a
strong partnership among students, schools and their
communities, and provide our students with professional
hands-on experience, perhaps most importantly, we hope
to instill in them a life-long commitment to volunteerism,”
adds Dr. Jaday.
For more information on careers in Multimedia and Web
Design and The Art Institutes, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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