Department of Community Service
Fall 2020 Reflections
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All of us in the Department of Community Service would like to thank you for your commitment to service throughout the difficult year that has been 2020.
Amidst a global pandemic, natural disasters, a national election, and critical reflections on racism and diversity, you all have shown you are passionate and dedicated to making the world a better place.
We see you and appreciate all that you do! Know that the Department of Community Service would not have been able to accomplish any of our successes without YOU ALL! THANK YOU! Also make sure to check out some of our 2021 volunteer opportunities and events and
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Although Fall 2020 kept some of us indoors, our community engagement continued! Here are some things you helped us accomplish… |
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- So many collaborations, newsletters and fundraisers!
- Over 100 on campus and virtual events hosted by DCS & service groups!
- 420 student volunteers & 90 leaders engaged in service across 19 Waltham Group programs!
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So far this semester, 260 undergraduate student volunteers have provided over 9,000 hours of service to their communities! The deadline to log your fall Commitment to Service Award hours is rapidly approaching on December 31st! Please log your hours and help us demonstrate the incredible impact you are making in the world!
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And countless acts of service and activism by students and our many service & activist clubs all across campus!
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VoteDeis Coalition:
The Department of Community Service played a key role in the VoteDeis Coalition’s voter engagement efforts this fall. Over 100 students dropped by our National Voter Registration Day event and our Athletics Voter Registration Drive to receive assistance registering to vote, checking their registration status, submitting their absentee ballot request forms, applying to vote by mail, and more. We emphasized creating voting plans for students, with transportation and Covid precautions in mind. We also partnered with MassVOTE, by co-hosting a workshop centered on Voter Rights, Registration, and Education. We engaged more than 90 students, faculty, and staff members in 6 in-person and virtual watch parties for the Presidential and Vice Presidential Debates and staffed and supported election debrief conversations.
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Waltham Group hosted the first ever Prejudice in Community Engagement panel. You can watch a recording of the panel here. The panel hosted five panelists with experience from as nearby as Waltham and as far away as Uganda for a discussion about how to truly engage in a community and how to acknowledge and overcome the hazards of volunteering.
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This year’s Community Engagement Ambassadors (CEAP) hosted a number of events this semester to engage our campus in impactful community and civic engagement, including Speed Friending, BIPOC Focus Groups, a Grant Writing Seminar with Institutional Advancement, a Documentary and Discussion on Women-Led Anti-Violence Movements with PARC, Voter Registration & Education workshops with Vote Deis, and Building Communi-TREE, among others!
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VolunteerFest!
Over the course of five days, 120 new and returning students participated in 8 virtual workshops and volunteer events as a part of this year’s fall VolunteerFest, ranging from a service and activism club fair, to workshops on voter rights and education, youth engagement, and supporting aging populations.
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Service & Leadership Pre Orientation
Over the course of three days, 32 incoming first year students attended our first virtual Service & Leadership Pre-Orientation program. Students had the opportunity to interact with and learn from colleagues within the Department of Community Service and the Intercultural Center, as well as upper-class students, alumni, faculty, and community partners.
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The Waltham Group Fundraising squad hosted the first ever publicly televised Waltham Family School Read-A-Thon, helping to raise over $7,000 for the Waltham Family School.
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The Waltham Group Fundraising squad hosted a Waltham Virtual Showcase to feature our talented Waltham and Brandeis community members and support and uplift a long time community partner, the Waltham Partnership for Youth.
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Headlines from Department of Community Service & Waltham Group! |
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Internal Reflections We Are Doing! |
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DCS reviewed the Black Action Plan and is working with the authors of BAP to make action steps for the semester ahead in order to continue to ensure we are inclusive and anti-racist, and that our values, core competencies, and learning outcomes are embodied by each of our campus and community partners. You can review the DCS Response and Action Steps to the Black Action Plan here.
- CEAP Ambassadors & DCS staff facilitated focus groups with alumni, BIPOC students, international students, and male students to determine barriers that may limit community engagement and necessary departmental resources.
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Waltham Group hosted a campus-wide Prejudice in Community Engagement panel for a discussion about what it means to truly engage in a community and how to acknowledge and overcome the hazards that come with volunteering.
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- All DCS professional staff are participating in a monthly internal book discussion, centered around race and social identities. ODEI will provide options for suggested texts and facilitate an end of book discussion. Currently, we are reading Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence: Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues on Race.
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A three-part program is being facilitated through The Piece Project, where student leaders and professional staff members discuss issues of community, access, and identity. We held our first two sessions this fall, and another session is expected to take place in the spring!
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Our staff will continue to update our website as we make progress on our goals and commitments. Learn more about our action steps in response to the Black Action Plan here.
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Internal Reflections You can Do! |
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The Black Action Plan made a “Re-Imagine Public Safety” proposal, shaped from the collaborative concerns and demands mentioned from previous community calls, to present an idea of what a Re-imagined Public Safety could look like on the Brandeis campus.
The Black Action Plan is collecting feedback from this proposal. To collect more feedback, we have recorded the BAP community forums, and have created a FORM for you to input your feedback, suggestions, and concerns. Feedback is needed by Monday, January 11th. After that date, we will anonymously share the collected re-imagined ideas with our community, the external consultants, and Search Committee members on a synthesized Google Sheet.
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Department of Community Service
Shapiro Campus Center, Room 203
P: 781-736-3237
Want to submit your event or volunteer request in an upcoming This Week in Service email? Fill out this submission form to request support.
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