Urbana U, is an accessible education initiative aimed to connect members of the community to flexible and affordable educational opportunities. Classes from business literacy, introductory English, math and other practical skills will be offered and made available and instructed by local educators and/grad students. 

 

The benefits of an educated community are immeasurable. More skills means better jobs, better jobs mean more income which means more prosperous local business and government investment. 

 

Providing easily accessible education makes for a better citizenry.  By offering a variety of courses, we can help inform the community of pertinent issues and equip them with the tools to advocate for themselves effectively regarding their local and world views in public life. 

 

This program will provide adults in our community an opportunity to further their education on their own time. This can help build skills and knowledge to further professional and personal goals in a flexible and affordable manner.

 

This program will assist our community’s teenage population who struggle in traditional classrooms to receive support outside of their schools. The voluntary nature of this program can help provide a destigmatized way to engage with or bolster their studies.

 

This program could introduce teenagers to a college-like experience led in part by graduate students and professors. Along with allowing those heading into adulthood to make a more informed decision about their choices after high school, this program could help build the educational relationships and experiences that will carry them through higher education, if they choose that course of action.

 

This initiative would offer the public free courses with the option to pay a limited fee to receive feedback. The net results of this initiative would benefit the community economically and civically while also delivering personal benefits for different segments of our community.