Community Partners

The SLCE Office is committed to empowering students with leadership and service-based educational programs that promote critical and creative thinking to develop active citizens. We utilize the Active Citizen Continuum to describe four stages of personal development, understanding that citizenship does not develop through logical or linear thinking but instead as a spectrum. With the continuum, we have language to encourage learners to move from being unconcerned members of society toward active citizens who choose to prioritize the greater community in their values and life choices.

We depend on community partnerships to develop students into active citizens. Therefore, we’ve created a few baseline expectations that we’ve seen to be most beneficial when students are working with community partners.

SLCE primarily partners with organizations that:

• Are non-profit organizations, community/recreation centers, government agencies, or school-based programs with a well-defined mission statement or purpose.
• Can help us to promote the ideals of social responsibility, public service, and/or civic engagement.
• Have an office or a well-defined space where our students will serve (such as a community center, park, school, etc.) and can provide a contact person to serve as the liaison.
• Offer meaningful, positive experiences—both educational and social—that will enhance the education of our students and promote our mission.

Each community partner is viewed as a co-educator and must be willing to integrate the following into each service opportunity:

Education

We ask that community partners take a moment prior to engaging in service to teach about the social issue at hand, the community they’re supporting, and how the community partner is making a difference in the defined community. Ideally education would include root causes of the social issue and how student can continue to contribute to making a positive impact even after leaving the service project.

Service—defined in one of the following ways:

• Direct Service: Active participation in service addressing the needs of the community through face-to-face and/or hands-on volunteering that addresses a specific social need.
• Indirect Service: Planning and facilitating a volunteer project that provides passive opportunities to give back to the community but does not engage participants in direct service.
• Philanthropy: The active, in-person, on-campus collection of monetary donations to address a specific social need or support a community partner. All monetary donations must be for a community partner who donates the majority of the funds directly to support a need within the community.
• Activism: The active participation, planning, and/or facilitation of an opportunity for education, and awareness of current social, cultural, and/or political issue. All Activism events associated with NSU must be approved by SLCE and/or NSU, remain non-violent, and non-confrontational. This includes on and off campus events.

Reflection

The process by which participants engage in conversation about an experience is known as reflection. Reflection is the meaning making that bridges experiences and learning. Therefore, we ask that community partners facilitate an opportunity for students to connect education about a social issue with experiential learning of the service project.

On-Campus Service

Offer an on-campus volunteer opportunity where students can either complete an activity quickly at a tabling event or provide a volunteer project for students to complete together in a classroom. Time commitments range from 5 minutes to 2 hours.

Service Event with an NSU Club or Greek Organization

All student registered clubs and Greek organizations at NSU have a service requirement. Therefore, they are always looking for service opportunities to complete with anywhere from 5 to 60 volunteers. SLCE can assist with pairing community partners with student org's to assist in completing this requirement.

All FINS In

Our annual campus wide service event that engages students and alumni in a service project happens on the third Saturday in March. Tagged line as "The Ultimate Service Project" we invite organizations onto campus and transport students around Broward County for students to engage in direct service.

Volunteer Fair

Come to NSU to recruit students to volunteer with your organization! This year, we're planning on hosting two fairs during the 2023-24 academic year at the end of August and beginning of January.

Tabling Events

Throughout the year, SLCE can reserve areas at NSU for tabling events. If an organization would like to distribute educational materials, talk about their organization, and provide volunteer opportunities to students walking by, then requesting a tabling event could be an exciting opportunity for organizations.

Education Events

In person and virtual opportunities to educate students on topics regarding service, civic engagement, and social issues are available for community partners.

Promote your Opportunity!

If your organization has a volunteer opportunity, we are able to post those events on our event site known as SharkHub.

Experiential Learning Units

All undergraduate students must complete 6 Experiential Learning Units to graduate. SLCE oversees several pillars including volunteering with a singular organization for 40 or 80 hours, while partnering in online reflection.

Sharks and Service Alternative Breaks

A group of students, normally 10-15, go on local, national, and international service trips during scheduled breaks in the school year, such as Spring break.

This holistic experience includes education, service, reflection, and group bonding while partnering.