Community Service

Participating in community service provides you with the opportunity to give time and energy towards meeting human needs, while learning about yourself, the community and world in which you live. Community service can take very little time and commitment on your part, but it's effects can be felt by many. There are opportunities to use your special talents in many different settings for a variety of causes.

Benefits of Community Service:
- Meet new people
- Learn new skills and gain insights
- Find new challenges
- Build a better society
- Find personal satisfaction
- Explore career possibilities
- Enhance the job search (Employers are often impressed by volunteer work.)

Community Service Opportunities

A Way With Words & Numbers

As a part of the federal America Reads and America Counts programs, A Way With Words & A Way With Numbers offer both graduate and undergraduate students at MU the opportunity to help children master the basic skills of literacy and math. A Way With Words & A Way With Numbers tutors work in Columbia's public schools, serving children in kindergarten through fifth grade.A Way With Words & Numbers

Jumpstart

This is a unique opportunity for college students on work-study to participate in community service while in school. As a Jumpstart Corps member, you'll work one-to-one with a young child to help him build the skills necessary to school success. You'll also be able to build relationships with families and communities; develop teaching, leadership and professional skills; and work on a team of your peers. Jumpstart

Service Learning

Service-Learning is the formal integration of community service into student instruction and learning. Service-learning, or curriculum-based service, connects students with the community in partnerships that provide effective and far-reaching assistance to those in need, as well as create valuable learning environments. Service is performed within the context of university course work, which supplies an informational and support structure for outreach activities. Office of Service Learning

Volunteer Opportunities

To find the volunteer opportunity that is best for you, use the following steps:

Step 1
Research organizations. Finding the right agency or organization can be a time consuming process, but it will pay off in the end. Good places to start your research are the Voluntary Action Center and the Community Connection.

Step 2
Determine which volunteer experience will best suit you. To maximize the benefits of volunteering it is important to discover what you want out of the experience and what you want to put into it. Knowing more about yourself will help you find an organization that will suit your needs. It will also help the agency use your efforts effectively. This is the time for practical questions and even more practical answers. These are just a few items you might want to consider when choosing a volunteer position:
- Your lifestyle
- Your beliefs and values
- Your talents and skills
- Your goals
- Your limits

Step 3
Contact the agency or contact person Once you've found an agency that appeals to you, call to determine their volunteer needs. Be prepared to ask questions. Visit the organization. This will give you a feel for the atmosphere of the organization. Visiting or talking to a contact person will give you a better feel for what the organization offers and what will be expected of you.

For additional assistance in selecting a volunteer opportunity, you may contact the Office of Student Life at 882-3621, AO2 Brady Commons; or the YMCA at 882-1550.