Community-Based Organizations / Faculty & Staff
Community-Based Organizations
Community Outreach partners with community-based organizations in multiple ways. Realistically we can not meet every need, but we do try to offer an array of services that help organizations fulfill their missions.
Looking for Volunteers?
We advertise volunteer opportunities through our website and in our weekly email publication, “Call for Action.” We usually include service opportunities, public service career information, and social change oriented funding opportunities (fellowships, grants, etc.) To submit an opportunity, please complete this form.
Learn more about how we organize our community service opportunities for students. Student Leaders work closely with program participants and community partners to ensure a meaningful service experience. They are responsible for volunteer recruitment, program planning, implementing service that meets self-identified community needs, and promoting reflection about social issues. Student leaders are supported by a number of peer and professional resources. They attend a week of training before the start of the fall semester to develop leadership skills, build collaboration among student leaders, and prepare for their programs. Throughout the year they participate regularly in their programs and maintain frequent communication with Community Outreach staff and their community partners. If your agency would like to be involved, please contact communityoutreach@uconn.edu.
Federal Work Study
Students who are eligible for Federal Work Study funds can choose to work in a community service oriented placement at a local non-profit agency. To be involved, an agency must be partnered with Community Outreach through a Semester Long Program or register with the Student Employment in the Office of Student Financial Aid Service. For more information visit the Federal Work Study webpage.
Are you in our agency database?
We have over 250 public and not-for-profit organizations registered with our office. We use the database to help identify community service, service-learning, and internships placements, communicate with partners, and track student participation. Although being in our database does not guarantee that your organization will receive students, it does allow us to inform students of your organization’s mission and service opportunities. Agency profiles are officially updated every summer. If you don’t know if your agency is registered with us, please call 860-486-1165 and ask a staff member to look you up.
Faculty & Staff
There are a number of different ways that faculty and staff collaborate with our office. The topics below outline the primary ways we can support each other’s work. If you are interested in collaborating in ways that are not listed below, please contact Miguel Colon at miguel.colon@uconn.edu or 860-486-1165 to discuss other possible ways to collaborate.
How we can support you:
Making community connections – Community Outreach staff can assist you with identifying and establishing partnerships with community based organizations. We currently have relationships with over 200 community partners throughout Connecticut and the continental United States. We are available to:
- Set up a one-time community service project for your class or group
- Integrate a service-learning component into a course or research project
- Collaborate on the development of an outreach program
- Consult on a current or planned civic engagement initiative
Present to your class or group – If you would like to request a representative from Community Outreach to visit your class and present on our programs, community service, or a related topic, please contact communityoutreach@uconn.edu to schedule the visit.
How you can support us:
Consult on a program or project – Community Outreach strives to offer a diverse set of civic engagement opportunities that meet the self-identified needs of the community and students’ interests. We work in a variety of settings including education, youth development, health care, and human services. Our staff and student leaders are always looking for experienced professionals to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our programs and support their success.
Training workshops for students – Each semester, faculty and staff from around the University offer training sessions on issues that directly relate to their community work. Training workshops can be offered on a one-time or on-going basis depending on the availability of trainers and programmatic needs. Past workshops topics have included the basics of literacy, behavior management, working with homeless populations, learning disabilities, and more! If you are interested in working with us to offer a professional development opportunity for our students, please contact Miguel Colon at miguel.colon@uconn.edu or 860-486-1165.