GEF Student Advisory Committee
The 2024 cohort of GEF Student Advisors with members of the GEF Board and staff, March 2024
In 2022 GEF launched a Student Advisory Committee to inform our work and lend it the invaluable perspective that students bring.
This idea was born out of a GHS alumni internship completed by Rebecca Dowd in Summer 2021. Rebecca worked with the GEF staff and board, GHS principal James Cook, and the National Association of Education Foundations to design the committee and its role. It is supported through the Jim Dowd Fund, housed at GEF, which supports leadership opportunities for Gloucester youth.
The Student Advisory Committee brings together a small team of GHS sophomores and juniors nominated by GHS staff and community leaders for an average of five hours/month. During their terms, these students work on projects they are personally passionate about. Past projects have included.
vetting new program ideas from teachers and weighing in on grant proposals
visiting GEF-funded programs with donors and board members
presenting to teachers about GEF and how to apply for funding, and to the School Committee about GEF’s work and the advisory committee’s role in it
serving as student liaisons on planning committees for the Gloucester Student Arts Festival and Auditorium Renovation Feasibility Study
representing GEF at school and community events including Countdown to Kindergarten, Main Street Block Parties, Meet the Teacher Nights, The Power of Play, and the GEF Donor Celebration
creating testimonials to support GEF fundraising efforts
This is an authentic community leadership opportunity with the potential to make a real impact, helping GEF’s board make student-informed decisions about how to direct our funding and support the Gloucester Public Schools.
Click here to learn about our SY23-24 Selection Process