Serving With Thanksgiving!

The CSL in a Nutshell

Your Monthly Updates from the KU Center for Service Learning

You’ve almost made it through the semester, Jayhawks!

We at the Center for Service Learning hope you have a safe and restful Thanksgiving Break, giving you the strength and motivation to finish out the semester on a high note. If you need a little support to make it through the holidays, there are some resources available to you both on and off campus.

The Campus Cupboard will be closed November 25-27. Starting on November 30, the Cupboard will shift to Winter Break hours and will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm. The Cupboard will also be closed from December 12 until January 3. You can find a list of additional campus and community food resources here.

The United Way of Douglas County has put together a Holiday Resource list, including information about Just Food holiday meal boxes, utility and rental assistance, and more.

We know that an eight-week Winter Break may seem a little long. If you’re looking for something to fill your time and give back to the community, we encourage you to check out UNIV 492: Local. This service learning class will be taught over the winter term but will count as a Spring 2021 course. Learn more about the course here and let us know if you have any questions or are interested in registering!

Our office will be staffed throughout Winter Break and we are happy to help you find service opportunities, prepare for next semester, or however else we can support you during this time. Here's to ending this unique semester on a high note and remaining in community with one another over the next two months!

In Service,

Center for Service Learning

Jomella Watson-Thompson, PhD.

Emily Eddins Rountree, Ph.D.

Kate Kemper, M.S.Ed.

Will Chaney

Bria Thorne

csl.ku.edu | 785-864-0960 | csl@ku.edu

Civic Engagement:

Keeping the Work Going!

The 2020 U.S Presidential Election has concluded, but that doesn't mean that you still don't have important questions about voting and the political process and important work isn't happening!

This fall different organizations across campus shared conversation and resources, here are a few of those you can share or use yourself to stay engaged and keep the work going!

Educate & Act - a series of conversations about elections and civic engagement.

Post-Election Processing- a panel conversation about resources on and off campus to process elections and sustain engagement in a healthy way.

Civic Engagement resource page- resources from leaders for leaders!

Visit our website for resources on how you can be a leader in your community!

November Student Spotlight:

Lauren Spence

Lauren Spence, a Junior strategic communications and sociology student from Springfield, Missouri is KU’s Newman Civic Fellow for 2020-2021.

As Communications Director of KU’s Student United Way chapter, Lauren is constructing a communication strategy for the new organization from the ground up. Off-campus, Lauren has been very active in Lawrence Humane Society programs and pet adoption promotion activities.

Spence joins a cohort of nearly 300 students from across the country in a yearlong program that includes training, virtual learning opportunities, and an annual Fellow convening.

The Center for Service Learning is currently accepting nominations for the 2021-2022 Newman Civic Fellow. For more information on that submission process, please visit csl.ku.edu/newman.

Upcoming Opportunity:

IMPACT Conference 2021

Impact Conference is the largest gathering for college students and universities who are doing service.

This year's conference will be completely online and free of charge! IMPACT is seeking presenters to lead workshops at this year's conference. The CSL is willing to help anyone who is willing to present by reviewing proposals and providing feedback!

Join us and hundreds of other national leaders in service from March 4th- March 6th, 2021!

Find more details about registration, and our agenda on the conference page! Questions about the conference?

Let us know at csl@ku.edu.

November Service Spotlight:

4-H Youth Futures Program!

The 4-H Futures program connects college- aged mentors with high schoolers. The focus of the programming is college and career readiness partnered relationship building and supports. The programming is currently doing online service and is actively searching for mentors to help be a positive impact in a young person's life!

If you would like to get involved or have any questions,

please email Kelsey Fortin.

Service Opportunity Spotlight:

Community Service Advocates

In order to make service opportunities as impactful and widely available as possible on our campus, it is important that we in the KU service community communicate, network, and collaborate on our common efforts.

The mission of the Community Service Advocates is to help provide our KU service community intentional space to connect around overlapping initiatives, events, and programs. We hope this to be a resource to you and your organization, to better be able to promote, partner, and build on the good work that we all are doing!

If you would like more information about how to get involved, or want to join our Teams Channel email wchaney@ku.edu.

Upcoming Opportunity:

CSL Awards!

Every year, the Center for Service Learning presents five Excellence in Service Learning awards. We would love your help in this process by nominating faculty, staff, students, and community partners that you have worked with that demonstrate a commitment to service and collaboration within the KU and surrounding communities!

We will be accepting nominations until December 18th.

To nominate someone for a CSL award, please click this link and complete the online submission form below. Self-nominations are encouraged!