Collaborative College Assistance Migrant Program

Mission * Objectives * Strategies * Benefits

MISSION

The mission of Collaborative CAMP is to meet the educational needs of eligible, migrant/seasonal farm worker students. Our vision encompasses learning communities that involve families, school personnel and community members to help students complete their first year of college and go on to become life-long learners and active citizens.

OBJECTIVES

Primary project goal
The primary project goal is to give every student in the Collaborative CAMP program the academic and social skills to complete coursework successfully, and to understand and participate in diverse college activities that support colleges success such as receiving on-going financial aid, academic advisement, tutorials, career guidance, and counseling. Beyond skill building, the goal is to help every student become a life-long learner, that is, an active participant in his own education and in his community.

Specific Project Objectives and Outcomes
To accomplish the primary goal, that is, to systematically address the identified needs, the planning committee developed five measurable objectives. Each is briefly described below.

1. To increase the number of students of migrant/seasonal farm worker background admitted to SSU/NVC/SRJC. This objective addresses the established significant under-representation of students from migrant/seasonal farm worker backgrounds among college attendees.
2. To increase the academic skills and performance of the Collaborative CAMP first-year college students. This objective targets the identified under-performance and relatively low skills of the potential population for Collaborative CAMP, problems that will undermine college success if not effectively addressed in the first year.
3. To increase the number and proportion of Collaborative CAMP participants who successfully complete their first year of college/university study with the skills necessary to earn a baccalaureate degree and secure appropriate employment. This objective targets the documented problem of migrant/seasonal farm worker students enrolling in the partner IHEs but dropping out during the first year.
4. To increase the persistence and transfer rates of Collaborative CAMP participants resulting in completion of the baccalaureate degree. This objective addresses the lower-than-average persistence rate of Hispanic students at all three institutions and the severe under-representation of Hispanic/Latinos and especially migrant/seasonal farm workers among college graduates.
5. To establish a self-sustaining network of successful former Collaborative CAMP students who will serve as role models and leaders for each successive year's participants and for the youth in their communities. They will play a key role in the formation of learning communities in strategic locations in the rural areas. The planning committee developed this objective to address the need for a visible network of peers and role models for migrant/seasonal farm worker youth in the K-12 system and for Collaborative CAMP project participants in their first year of college/university.

STRATEGIES

Collaborate with K-12 schools and strengthen the infrastructure and capacity of the three institutions of higher education in our service area.

Establish vigorous outreach/recruitment campaigns to prepare students in the high schools to transfer to the community colleges or Sonoma State University.

Implement a variety of academic and guidance activities for first-year CAMP students, and monitor their progress throughout their undergraduate years.

BENEFITS

As Collaborative CAMP partners, Sonoma State University, Napa Valley College, and Santa Rosa Junior College will provide the following:

1. Outreach and recruitment services.
2. Stipends and financial support based on need.
3. Instructional services: academic and career counseling, tutors.
4. Assistance through the maze of college resources, such as
   additional student financial aid.
5. Exposure to cultural events and extracurricular activities
   Follow up services beyond the first year to support the
   completion of the bachelor’s degree.