Service Programs
Contact the Office of Community Service for any questions on the programs below.
Alternative Spring Break
America Reads
Community Service Fair
Day of Service
Federal Work Study and Community Service
R.E.A.L. Retreat
Scholarships for Service
Student Service Organizations
Alternative Spring Break
The Alternative Spring Break program provides teams of students
with an opportunity to spend their spring break serving with
Habitat for Humanity and learning about communities in need.
In the past, students have been involved in siding, shingling,
insulating and putting up windows and doors on Habitat for Humanity
homes. Daily reflection, community building, and leadership
activities also characterize these rigorous hands-on-breaks.
Lesley students have been participating in Alternative Spring
Break with Habitat for Humanity since 2000. This year; 43 students
traveled to Asheville, NC, Charlottesville, VA and Morgantown,
WV for their Alternative Spring Break.
America Reads
Lesley University participates in the America Reads Tutoring
Program at the Baldwin School in Cambridge.
The America Reads mission is two-fold:
- To provide quality literacy tutoring for public elementary
school students in Cambridge.
- To build a strong and active network of Lesley students,
faculty, administrators, and partners who share a commitment to
youth, education, and social change.
The program matches tutors with elementary school students to
master important reading skills, as well as develop
self-confidence, motivation and a love for learning. In addition to
tutoring at the schools twice a week, tutors meet twice a month to
receive literacy training, share ideas and reflect on their
experiences.
Community Service Fair
In the fall semester local non-profits and community
organizations come to Lesley University to meet with students and
recruit student volunteers. Students learn about one-time service
opportunities as well as semester-long service programs and the
variety of ways that they can make a difference in the community.
Participating organizations include Cambridge School Volunteers,
Somerville Home, The Women's Center, Tutoring Plus, Big Sister,
Boston Partners in Education, Partners for Youth with Disabilities,
and Peace Games.
Day of Service
On their first full day at Art Institute of Boston and Lesley
College, new students can opt to explore the Cambridge and
Greater Boston community while making a deeper connection to its
needs and resources. These students disperse to a variety of
service-sites, where they are given an orientation to the site
itself, a description of how the organization serves the community,
and a chance to converse about issues like environmental
preservation, educational inequalities, hunger, homelessness,
access to the arts, and low-income housing. During this time,
students also help the service site in a wide variety of ways to
match the site's current needs.
The 2011 Day of Service, was held on Tuesday, September 6th,
including such organizations as Community Art Center, Margaret
Fuller Neighborhood House, Parents' Nursery School, The Guidance
Center, YWCA, and Tutoring Plus. Other organizations that have
participated in previous Day of Service events include the Eviction
Free Zone and Friends of Alewife Reservation.
Federal Work Study and Community Service
Existing partnerships with Boston and Cambridge agencies allow
Lesley students to receive federal work-study employment for
non-profit community work. Students can also create new work-study
opportunities by the Office of Community
Service or contacting the Office of Financial Aid.
R.E.A.L. Retreat
The R.E.A.L. (Retreat Experience At Lesley) Retreat is a chance
for students to "build community through service." Students are
able to take a break from their academic lives, get off of campus,
and do meaningful community work. Moreover, it's a chance for
students to meet new people, learn more about one-another, and
engage on a deeper level. The R.E.A.L. Retreat occurs once
each semester.
AmeriCorps Student Leaders in Service (ASLIS)
The Scholarships for Service program, through Massachusetts
Campus Compact, gives students the opportunity to receive a $1,000
education award in return for completing 300 hours of service.
Participants receive support from the Office of Community Service,
and meet regularly to reflect on their experience.
Student Service Organizations
For more information about student organizations, contact the Office of Student Activities.
All of these groups are sponsored by the Student Government
Association (SGA) and are supported by the Office of Community
Service. The SGA is established to represent the interests and
concerns of undergraduate students to the larger university
community, while working to build an excitingly vibrant life on
campus for students. The elected leadership of the SGA, along with
the general student body, work together to realize these goals.
- Community Service Club - The Community Service Club provides many opportunities for
students to follow their passions while doing service. Past
projects have included cooking and serving food for the homeless,
blood drives, clothing drives, and helping community centers paint
murals. There are many more opportunities to come and the club is
always open to new ideas as well.
- Lesley
Delivers - Lesley Delivers is an organization that provides direct support
to the hungry and homeless in the Cambridge community. By providing
bagged dinners and information about where to access resources,
these students assist those struggling with hunger and homelessness
in the area. Lesley Delivers is helping to raise awareness on the
Lesley campus as well as in the community in which they serve. Read
some more information about on their blog.
- Strides -Strides aims to the offer Lesley University members an organized
outlet to make a difference in the greater community while raising
awareness of and reflecting upon issues involving heath and
society. Strides participates in many area awareness walks
including Relay for Life, Walk for Hunger, and the AIDS Walk in
Boston.
- Students for Social Justice - SSJ is a group focused on getting students within Lesley to
increase their civic awareness by engaging in volunteer work for
the poor and deprived in the greater Boston area. As students who
are in the process of learning to become socially oriented
professionals, this group is committed to reaching out to the
community that surrounds Lesley University.