Community Engagement

Student Opportunities & Resources

 

Community-based (Service) Learning

Faculty and students in the California State University (CSU) have been partnering with their local communities since the first CSU campus was founded in 1857. These partnerships not only improve the quality of life across California, they significantly contribute to student learning, advance faculty research and teaching, support CSU programs and positively contribute to California communities.

The CSU continues to take bold steps to promote Community-based Learning (Service Learning) as an educational pedagogy that prepares students for the complexities and rewards of community engagement, lifelong learning, and professional and personal success.

Community-based Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

*The above information was provided by Learn and Serve America, National Clearing House

Students' Responsibilities

Students engaged in a Community-based Learning assignment are responsible for mitigating potential risks involved with their Community-based Learning assignment. The Student Service Learning Plan & Agreement contains "Participation Guidelines," which outline appropriate behavior expectations for Community-based Learning students while at the learning site. Students are required to sign the "participation guidelines," which serves as an informed consent, demonstrating their awareness of the potential risks and behavior expectations at the learning site.

The Student Time Sheet also serves as a risk management function by keeping a record of when students were providing service at the learning site. If an accident occurs at the learning site, and the University needs to know if a specific student was actually serving at the learning site, this can provide a quick cross-check to the learning site's sign-in sheet.

Volunteer and Community-based Opportunities

For Volunteer and Community-based Opportunities, please refer to the sites list on our S4 Database here

JusticeCorps

JusticeCorps

 

For those interested in law, social justice, & community development!

The JusticeCorps internship opportunity is offered by AmeriCorps and is for students interested in law, social justice, and community empowerment. JusticeCorps is an innovative approach to solving one of the more pressing issues faced by courts around the country today: providing equal access to justice. JusticeCorps recruits and trains recent college graduates and university students annually to serve in California's overburdening legal self- help centers which specialize in family law, housing, landlord/tenant disputes, or small claims. 

Click Here To Learn More

Civic & Community Engagement Minor

The Civic and Community Engagement Minor is designed for students who wish to apply what they learn at CSUN toward making positive changes in their communities and the world. The Minor provides skills for students to successfully integrate their academic and professional interests with their desire to create healthy, humane, successful, and sustainable communities. Students will combine their CSUN coursework and collaborations with community partners to become informed and active members and leaders in society. For more information on the Civic & Community Engagement minor, click HERE!

Student Scholar Program

Scholars in the SL Student Scholar Program contribute to CSUN’s mission to cultivate civic responsibility amongst students by assisting community-based learning (service learning) professors and leading community-based learning students. While each student scholar experience is different, the goal of the program is to ensure that Student Scholars are able to enhance their professional development and leadership potential while gaining community-based research and project coordination skills. Learn more about the Student Scholar Program HERE!

Global Youth Leaders “Uplifting Humanity”

Four CSUN students (Melissa Baghoumian, Jocelyn Lagunas, Sergio Lopez, Gabriela Mahgerefteh) were awarded the prestigious, national award “Luce 24 under 24” at a ceremony in New York City on November 7, 2023. The J. Luce Foundation issues the award to “the brightest young global leaders” who are “innovators and game changers.” The foundation empowers young leaders to “better humanity” with “honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity.” Working with Jim Luce (Founder & CEO) throughout the Fall 2023 semester, the student team created a GoFundMe page to sponsor a new roof on a shelter for teenage unwed mothers in Indonesia built by the foundation -- and now in need of repair. The shelter houses 8 women and their children for up to five years, providing free food and shelter plus education and vocational training. Many young, unwed mothers are abandoned by the father of their children, forced into prostitution, or pressured to give up their babies for adoption. The J. Luce Foundation created a safe haven to keep these families together. The students are in ELPS 673HE (Leadership for Managing Reform in Higher Education). The course instructor, Dr. Joshua Einhorn, added a community engagement component to the class,

and this semester-long project was this team of students’ contribution. Other teams of students are actively and productively helping other local nonprofits similarly.

Please join in congratulating the students on this award!

The GoFundMe page is up and running and can be viewed HERE!

Help us raise the $1,500 needed for this great cause this holiday season.