Civic Engagement
Our mission is to prepare students to become active citizens who are committed to contributing to their local, national, and global communities.
Civic Engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference.
Developing the knowledge, skills, and values for active citizenship
Through leadership programs, volunteer service projects, and democratic engagement opportunities, students have a variety of options to become civically engaged!
Educational Resources
Below is a list of relevant articles, websites, and databases for community and civic engagement work. If you have any questions, or would like to further discuss any of these topics, contact the Office of Student Life.
- The Active Citizen Continuum shows the growth an individual might experience as they become more deeply entrenched and involved with community engagement work, typically around a particular issue of interest. All individuals won't experience this growth at the same rate, or even reach the same point on the continuum over time, but this resources provides context for thoughts you might be having as you engage in service and advocacy work.
What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Service
- A journal article discussing the broader context of service work in the community, highlighting themes that are not often discussed before, during, and after spending time in community.
- A guiding text calling on educators and public leaders to advance a 21st century vision of college learning for all students-a vision with civic learning and democratic engagement and expected part of every student's college education.
"Only Connect" - The goals of a liberal education
- Cronon provides an introduction to the purpose of liberal education and the relationship between education, responsibility and community.
"What Do We Mean by Civic Engagement"
- A journal article providing overview of the concept and rationale for civic engagement in higher education.
Partnerships in the community need to be mutually beneficial! You will benefit from your community engagement experience, but it is vital that the community partner is also TRULY benefiting. Follow the tips below as your work through the various stages of setting up, and engaging within, a partnership.
- Find a Partner
- Research partnership options to ensure your interests and their mission are in line
- Contact the community partner with plenty of advance notice (and remember, it's OK if they say they don't have any opportunities available right now)
- Set (and maintain) a professional tone through your communication
- Before the Activity
- Schedule a face-to-face meeting to review expectations, tour the site, and set learning objectives for your project
- Regularly communicate updates (group size, confirmation of timing, etc.) with your community partner
- During the Activity
- Check-in with your on-site contact as soon as you arrive
- Be fully engaged throughout the entire project
- Continue exhibiting professionalism as your represent GVSU (and yourself/group)
- Leave a thank you note (if possible)
- After the Activity
- Reflect on the project independently or with your group
- Send a thank you note (if you weren't able to leave one on-site)
- Communicate with your community partner for feedback, as well as to determine if you plan to continue the partnership
Gaining knowledge of yourself, your project, and your issue area before serving will help enrich your experience. Additionally, reflection is a critical part of any community engagement experience. The outline below will help you to structure both pre-engagement and reflection questions for you (or your group's) project.
- Pre-Service Questions
- Identity: How do you think socially constructed identity may influence the people, the area, and the culture you experience today?
- Intention vs. Impact: What is your intended impact on the community? Is there any potential for harm?
- Perspective: What are some ways you think your attitudes and beliefs may be different than those of other cultures? How do you know? How do you think these differences may impact your engagement experience?
- Active Citizenship: What do you hope to learn about working across different communities? Would you consider yourself an active citizen in the community you are engaging with?
- Post- Service Reflection Questions
- Identity: What differences are you seeing in your beliefs/attitudes/understanding of society and the world?
- Intention vs. Impact: What was the lasting effect on the community partner? What were the benefits and hindrances? Did your experience fulfill its initial intent?
- Perspective: Looking back, what factors (organizations, culture, prior knowledge, personal background, classes, etc.) influenced how you framed your community engagement experience?
- Active Citizenship: Has your service reinforced your commitment to public action as a citizen? How do you define the role of a “citizen” (as opposed to a “consumer” or an “individual”)? How can you take what you've learned and apply it?
- Every candidate and measure, explained. Know what you're voting for by researching every race and referendum on the ballot in your community!
- Register to vote, find out if your, request an absentee ballot, find your polling location, and much more!