Learning 4 Life Services

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Two students at the Learning for Life Financial Aid session

Learning 4 Life (L4L) is a research-based, multi-faceted community and college partnership that links students to a network of services, supports and opportunities. This collaborative work fortifies students for college success and removes any challenges that they may encounter in keeping college a central priority in their lives.

Understand Our Team

The L4L team includes Navigators (peer mentors) who are supported by Lead Navigators (Graduated Assistants), a Director and Assistant Directory, and community partners. This entire L4L team moves side-by-side with students to meet the challenges of becoming a college graduate. We are about resilience and excellence.

"Learning 4 Life is exactly what every college campus should have. It is an all-inclusive space where students, faculty and staff can come and be welcomed with open arms. As a student who came into college afraid and not confident that I would be able to complete a college education, Learning 4 Life strengthened my confidence and served as a compass in what seemed like a foreign land to me."

Learning 4 Life Scholars 

Learning for Life Logo
  Learning 4 Life

L4L seeks RIC students who have sought out a college education in the face of adversity and who, as a current RIC student, need assistance in completing their higher education goals. We call these students L4L Scholars.

Interested in Becoming a Scholar?

We will link you with a Navigator and/or have you meet with an L4L staff member. Together you will talk about your strengths and challenges to determine how we can best assist you on your course to success.  ​​​​

Complete the Scholar Participation Form 

Partnerships & Collaborations

Collaborators are campus and/or community colleagues who have engaged in a mutual initiative with L4L. Partners provide essential funding, personnel, and student resources to L4L and the students we serve. 

Onward We Learn (formerly known as the College Crusade of Rhode Island) is an innovative nonprofit organization founded in 1989 to reduce high school dropout rates and increase educational and career success for low-income urban youth. Each year they serve approximately 4,200 students from Rhode Island's most economically disadvantaged families in Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, Woonsocket, and Cranston. Onward We Learn combines the steady, nurturing presence of caring adults with a rich array of programs that focus on academic enrichment, social and personal development, career awareness and exploration, and preparation for postsecondary education. Onward We Learn assists L4L in outreach and recruitment of Scholars as well as providing an Onward College Success Coach to serve students 4 days a week in the L4L space during the academic year.

Learn More About Onward We Learn

College Visions empowers low-income and first-generation college-bound students to realize the promise of higher education by providing advising and resources to promote college enrollment, persistence, and graduation. College Visions advances equal access to educational opportunities in historically under-served communities. College Visions team member’s serves as a Community Navigators, providing one-to-one support to students at RIC who have also been part of the College Visions Success Program.

Learn More About College Vision

The Navigator model of student support was developed in partnership with the School of Social Work. The model includes a training curriculum that includes social work principles at its foundation. Though Navigators represent other related fields to social work, most are social work majors serving as Navigator interns. The SSW field office and faculty supervisor for the interns, Dr. Jennifer Meade, coordinate the selection of interns and ongoing support.

Learn More About Social Work

The Unity Center is the Rhode Island College multicultural center. Its mission is to promote the accessibility of educational services and the opportunity for excellence to all students through collaborative programming among its student affiliates, faculty, staff and the wider community. The Unity Center served as the first main hub for Learning for Life, providing an opportunity to reach out to students in one of the hearts of student activity on campus. The Unity Center provided space and a founding presence for L4L. Since this early partnership that began in 2012, the Unity Center and L4L have worked together on multiple initiatives to: create a student resource area to bring needed campus and community services to students in a comfortable, safe drop-in space; advance the Center’s textbook lending library; and provide leadership development opportunities for students.

Learn More About Unity Center

RIC Partners

External Partners

  • CASO RI
  • Children's Friend
  • Central Falls Pawtucket Housing Development
  • DUNAMIS Synergy Initiative, West Elmwood Housing Development Corp.
  • House of Hope
  • SNAP Outreach Worker
  • Sojourner House
  • Panera Bread 
  • NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley
  • New Urban Arts
  • RIC A. L. L. I. E. D.- the Advanced Learning and Leadership Initiative for Educational Diversity
  • RI Student Loan Authority
  • We Share Hope
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L4L Feedback

Learning for Life is always looking for ways to improve our support for students. Please take a moment to give us feedback.

Leave Anonymous Feedback

2024 Navigators

Alexis L4L Navigator
Alexis
Arianna L4L Navigator
Arianna
Ashley L4L Navigator
Ashley
Christopher L4L Navigator
Christopher
Diana L4L Navigator
Diana
Em L4L Navigator
Em
Hunter L4L Navigator
Hunter
Katie L4L Navigator
Katie
Laura L4L Navigator
Laura
Megan L4L Navigator
Megan
Mel L4L Navigator
Mel
Tess L4L Navigator
Tess
Yume L4L Navigator
Yume

More About our Navigators and Coordinators

Who Are Our Navigators

At the heart of L4L is the Navigator model of student support, peer-to-peer mentorship and linkages to resources for students through a network of trained students in partnership with the RIC School of Social Work.

Learning for Life (L4L) Navigator Team

Navigators are Masters or Senior level students, from a diverse set of backgrounds and majors, whose primary role is to support the students we serve, called L4L Scholars. Each Navigator will work with a network of students, building bridges upon which students can reach each other and the resources they need for success.

L4L and the School of Social Work have developed a multi-faceted training curriculum that is required for all L4L Navigators and taught by campus staff and faculty, as well as community partners.

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Become a Navigator

Navigators are students from a diverse set of backgrounds and majors. If you would be interested in an internship or job as a Navigator please contact jgarzon@ric.edu for more information.

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Navigator Training

The L4L Training Program includes: 

  • L4L Overview, Operations, and Findings from the Recent Evaluation
  • Who is the L4L Scholar?
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Principles of Practice: Boundaries, Use of Self, Confidentiality and Ethics
  • Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention
  • Substance Use and Addictions
  • LGBTQ Awareness and Support
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
  • Assertive Advising Strategies
  • Academic Guidance and Support
  • Basic Needs Resources: Housing, Food, Financial Support
  • Student Advocacy
  • Campus Tour

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Who Are Our Coordinators

The L4L Community is organized through networks of support led by Educational Support Coordinators who serve as the central point of contact for Scholars as well as the Navigators.

ESC’s, as we call them, also coordinate project objectives including outreach to students, the development of marketing materials, communications, and collaborative initiatives.

Clinical oversight for the Navigators is provided through a faculty member of the School of Social Work, Dr. Jennifer Meade and the Associate Director of Learning for Life.

Rhode Island College entrance

Contact Us

Learning 4 Life

We are here to connect students to on and off campus resources and opportunities to empower and overcome life obstacles on their journey to graduation.