Volunteering

Volunteering is a worthwhile and enriching experience on a number of levels. It is an opportunity to become a part of a community, to help those in need, and to learn and practice skills of your own. It can be a way to get involved in an issue or organization that interests you. Volunteer work can vary from spending time in a soup kitchen, to tutoring and playing with immigrant children, to helping organize a fundraiser, to teaching people how to balance a checkbook. With dedication, you can turn volunteering into an experience as meaningful to you as it is to those you help.

Volunteering can, in addition, give your academic work palpable form. It lets you explore options for your future and can prepare you for your post-Northwestern career. Consider the ideas underlying your thoughts about possible career paths. Perhaps you can connect with an organization that will give you experience while you give them your time and energy. For example, a student thinking about using his or her training in a foreign language may want to look into English as a Second Language tutoring opportunities. Or someone who wants to be a doctor in order to search for cures for diseases may want to volunteer with a group planning a walk to raise money for cancer research. A student writing a thesis about racial identity in literature could volunteer with a minority advocacy group; someone studying economics and gender could link up with a shelter for battered women.

How can you find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests? The website of the Norris Center for Student Involvement is a good place to start; one goal of the center is to promote the Northwestern students' involvement in community agencies in Evanston and Chicagoland. The student-run Northwestern Community Development Corps is an excellent resource also, providing lists of service organizations grouped by focus; for many, they also provide names and contact information for Northwestern students familiar with the organization and its work.

Weinberg students interested in community service can pursue a certificate in Civic Engagement through the School of Education and Social Policy. Volunteer service at approved sites is a key component of certificate requirements.