National Student Partnerships (NSP) is a volunteer organization that helps students learn about their community and make a difference in that community at the same time.
"As far as students coming in, it really opens up Baltimore as a city," said Syea Stromme director of NSP's Baltimore site. "And they get to know the community they are living in, individually with the clients, and through working with other organizations."
Founded in 1998 and open in Baltimore in June of 2003, NSP has been growing locally and nationally in recent years. NSP is a student-driven volunteer organization that links local college students with individuals in community, in order to help them find employment and housing and to provide them with the resources they need to improve their lives.
According to the NSP Web site, www.NSPnet.org, "NSP's vision is a national movement of students grounded in direct action and committed to strengthening the networks of community support for all Americans." It is the only organization of its kind in the country.
The Baltimore office, located at 3333 Greenmount, is open for walk-in visitors from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Friday. Community members, often homeless and unemployed, can come in and meet with one of the student volunteers. Clients come for a variety of reasons and with varied regularity. "They keep on coming until they can no longer benefit from our services," Stromme said. While some clients only come once, for services like emergency food or shelter referrals, others continue to come several times over a period of months.
A student volunteer is paired up with a client will work with them on whatever they need, for as long as they need. Volunteers and clients work together to create resumes and e-mail accounts, find employment opportunities, secure child-care, obtain food, look for housing and acquire the resources they need to become self-sufficient.
NSP in Baltimore often works closely with other non-profit organizations as well, such as the Mattie B. Uzzle outreach center, transition shelters like I Can Inc., the Helping Up Mission or the women's shelter Haven House. All services NSP provides are entirely free for clients. Information about services received from NSP often spread by word of mouth from individual to individual. Most people that come in need to provide not only for themselves but for their entire family as well.
The Baltimore office has 17 student volunteers from local colleges. Student directors Anna Russell and Liz Krimmel, both students at Hopkins, both became involved after seeing fliers on campus for the program. "I've made a small difference, because these people are coming in as a last resort, and they are trusting us to help them," said Rusell,
Her experiences have also made her realize how thankful she is for what she has. She feels more involved with the Baltimore community and thinks that being a part of NSP gives students a perspective on how little some people have, something she feels a lot of Hopkins students don't realize.
Working with NSP has also been rewarding for Russell. She recalls working with one client who was a "woman with AIDS, no money and four kids." When she came in, Russell and NSP were able to enroll her in a program that provides meals to AIDS patients. "She was so thankful," said Russell.
Krimmel has had equally positive experiences at NSP. "Working one on one with clients and becoming a part of their lives is an amazing opportunity," she said. "The best part about working at NSP is the ability to help someone become self-sufficient and better provide for themselves and their families."
Krimmel also feels that NSP is a unique way for students to feel involved with the Baltimore community and to be out in that community helping people and making a difference in their lives. "Each client comes in with a different story -- the common link is that they have all faced extreme hardship and are doing everything they can to get by, and they are depending on us to provide the necessary assistance," she said.
NSP is always looking for more volunteers to be able to expand their services to the community. For more information, call the office at (443)524-2686. Orientation and training are required before starting, and volunteers are asked to put in at least two hours a week once they start.
