Community Service Programs

OCS PROGRAMS

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.

For information about how you can be a participant in Alternative Spring Break 2010 please contact Dan Flynn, Director of Community Service, at 617.349.8567 or email dflynn@lesley.edu.

America Reads

Lesley University participates in the America Reads Tutoring Program at the Baldwin School in Cambridge.

The America Reads mission is two-fold:

1. To provide quality literacy tutoring for public elementary school students in Cambridge.
2. 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.

For more information, please contact Dan Flynn, Director of Community Service, at 617.349.8567 or dflynn@lesley.edu.

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 contacting Dan Flynn, Director of Community Service, at 617.349.8567 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. The next R.E.A.L. retreat is happening in November, 2011.

Students interested in signing up may contact Dan Flynn, Director of Community Service, at 617.349.8567 or dflynn@lesley.edu.

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.

For more information, contact the Director of Community Service, Dan Flynn, at 617.349.8567 or email dflynn@lesley.edu.

Student Service Organizations

For more information about student organizations, contact the Office of Student Activities at 617.349.8565.

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 Lesley Delivers 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.