The Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement is a resource center for service-learning initiatives through various academic units. The center supports faculty and student development through service-learning workshops and other educational programs. The office also coordinates and offers community service-learning, publicizes community service-learning opportunities to the campus community, and coordinates and publicizes grants available for service-learning activities. At the end of each semester, all the students involved in service-learning showcase their projects and experiences at the Service-Learning Expo.
The Volunteers in Service (VIS) program seeks exciting volunteer opportunities and publicizes the opportunities to the campus community in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs. The VIS program also coordinates the cataloging of individual student volunteer hours for transcript notation. The VIS program oversees the selection and recognition of annual student volunteer and service-learning awards at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
With three locations on campus, UIndy is committed to sustaining efforts to tackle poverty and food access for our students and neighbors on the southside! With the support of UIndy’s VISTA member, the center is committed to expanding UIndy’s Community Gardens and Community Park into teaching and learning labs while growing produce for our residents and delivering events to build and strengthen our community. Through this work, college students and community residents will be empowered with the knowledge, skills, and resources to address food insecurity. This project will not only expand the community garden’s reach and impact but will also foster and sustain environmental stewardship for our neighbors, students, faculty, and staff, while expanding existing community partnerships and engagement.
Many partnerships between the Southeast Neighborhoods of Indianapolis and UIndy are coordinated by the Center for Service-Learning & Community Engagement through multidisciplinary engagement projects. Southeast Neighborhoods are home to many community partners who engage our students and faculty through service-learning and volunteer experiences.
UIndy and BACI’s six-year partnership began as a vision to create a welcoming and vibrant environment for the refugees and the community as a whole. Faculty and students work on multidisciplinary service-learning projects to provide support to the refugees, especially the youth. For more information, contact Elaisa Vahnie at velaisa@baci-indy.org.
TeenWorks is designed to promote employment and college readiness for low-income teenagers in Indianapolis. The Center for Service-Learning works closely with the departments on UIndy’s campus to provide valuable work experience and professional development for these 15 to 18 year old high school students.
This Center supports international service-learning courses and experiences. It publicizes international service-learning opportunities and promotes service-learning at University of Indianapolis cooperative sites such as those in Africa and Belize.