IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: No Price for Valuable Health Care






EVENTS
Summer Links Information Session
Monday, November 30th
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Ida Noyes First Floor Lounge, (1212 E. 59th Street)
Summer Links offers an intensive 10-week internships to 30 returning College and graduate students committed to public service, community building, and social change. Interns receive a $4 000 stipend and participate in weekly day-long and evening trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. For more information, please contact Student Intern Hallie Trauger at htrauger@uchicago.edu

What’s Next for Chicago
Tuesday, December 1
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Roosevelt University, Congress Lounge (430 South Michigan Avenue)
Despite losing the Olympic bid, how can Chicago harness all the energy put into the bid to create a better city for every? Join the conversation featuring University of Chicago American History professor Adam Green and other diverse perspectives coming together to envision possible futures for Chicago. This program is free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made online, by email, at events@prairie.org, or by calling 312.422.5580.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Splash! Chicago seeks new members to join our Student and Schools Recruitment Team. If you are at all interested in education and its structures, working with kids, or preaching atop lunch tables, you should sign up! Please call us at 773-789-7347 OR email splashchicago@gmail.com if you want to join our Recruitment Team.

Tutors in all subjects are needed at Hyde Park High School and John Hope HS. Please contact John MacDougall at 312-853-3932 or jmacdoug@roosevelt.edu

A 7th grade teacher, Jenny Jankowski, at Tarkington Elementary school is seeking UofC students interested in mentoring her 7th graders. The school is located at 71st and Kedzie, and is Chicago's first “green school”. (There’s a special need for mentoring male students who could benefit from a positive role model.) To get involved, contact Jennifer Jankowski at JLJankowski@cps.edu

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Heart of Chicago Writing Contest
Deadline: November 30, 2009
Students should describe how they view The Heart of Chicago in one of three categories: Poetry, Narrative Fiction, and Narrative Non-fiction. Any aspect of the city may be considered for subject matter. Submissions will be accepted via email to katesoto@uchicago.edu and for more information visit: chicagostudies.uchicago.edu/heartofchicago_writing.html

Check out the “The Blog That Works,” the Chicago Studies blog: https://blogs.uchicago.edu/chicagostudies/2009/11/from_cobb_hall_to_the_corn_fie.html If you are interested in being a blogger, contact Chicago Studies Program Coordinator Rachel Cromidas at cromidas@uchicago.edu

Humanities in Action
Due: January 23, 2010
The HIA summer fellowship programs bring together international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and human rights doctrines in democratic societies. Separate programs will take place for five weeks in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, New York, and Warsaw. Students of all majors and academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Full application materials are available at: http://www.humanityinaction.org/apply/usa

Applications for Teaching Artists through the Teaching Lab Collaborations (or TLC for short), have just gone live on-line here. For more information regarding job requirements and details, contact Jessica Hutchinson at jesshutchinson@uchicago.edu

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
No Price for Valuable Health Care
Anne Groggel, Staff Writer

Public health is on the minds of people around the nation in this midst of uncertainty around health care reform, finding quality and affordable health care. One thing can be agreed upon: the issue of health services is more important than ever. The State’s proposed 6.7% budget cuts to Health and Human Services would have a detrimental impact on the health of Chicago residents.

Beyond taking advantage of the free flu shots on campus, University of Chicago students are working to providing essential health services. Betsy Rubinstein, a graduate student at the School of Social Service Administration, decided to organize a fundraiser and raffle for the Chicago Women's Health Center located on the North Side. Founded in 1975 and the nation's oldest feminist health collective, Chicago Women's Health Center strives to make health care accessible to all women and transgendered people regardless of their ability to pay.

Chicago Women’s Health Center is a collective of women, including counselors, outreach health educators, and doctors who provide health education and accessible gynecological and mental health care to women and transgendered people in the Chicago area. Last year, CWHC served more than 6,000 Chicagoans through programs in gynecology, counseling, alternative insemination, outreach & education, and acupuncture.

Presently, the Center is working to raise money in order to move into a larger location, due to increasing demand for their services. Over the past few months, she coordinated with CWHC staff and T's Bar restaurant to put together the event, and has already received many in-kind donations from local businesses for the raffle. Betsy described her involvement as helping to support “an organization that provides health care in the right way.”

Rubinstein was especially drawn to the organization because of her interest in gender, health, and sexuality. The health center offers Trans Gynecology Access Program (TGAP) to provide gynecological services to transgender men. “I was incredibly pleased” Rubinstein stated “with an all-women run, feminist health collective that specifically reaches out to queer women and trans people.”

Betsy became involved with this nonprofit after shadowing Bess Hart, the Clinical Director at the Chicago Women’s Health Center. Bess Hart, a graduate from the Social Service Administration, currently works as a clinical social worker providing individual counseling at the clinic.

Potential budget cuts to the Public Health Budget mean fewer city services for an array of health program organizations. Organizations like Chicago Women’s Health Center become the lifeline to ensuring residents the health services they need. Reflecting on this budget crisis, Rubinstein concludes that “every person deserves sensitive, affordable, and comprehensive health care, and CWHC is a tremendous asset to our community for providing that for Chicagoans.”

The Chicago Women’s Health Center Fundraiser will be held at December 10th at 8pm at T’s Bar & Restaurant on 5025 N. Clark St. Students may contact Betsy at betsyrubinstein@gmail.com if you have any questions. For more information on Chicago Women's Health Center, please visit: http://www.chicagowomenshealthcenter.org

The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Students Rally for Coalition Building










EVENTS
University of Chicago Blood Drive
Monday, November 23rd
10:00am – 4:00pm
Ida Noyes, Cloister Club Room
Co-hosted by University of Chicago's Interfaith Dialogue Club and the Faiths Act Fellows Amy and Rebecca, this blood drive will be a chance for the Hyde Park community to give back to those in need locally. RSVP at amy.mcnair@faithsactfellows.org

Summer Links Information Session
Monday, November 30th
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Ida Noyes First Floor Lounge, (1212 E. 59th Street)
Summer Links offers an intensive 10-week internships to 30 returning College and graduate students committed to public service, community building, and social change. Interns receive a $4 000 stipend and participate in weekly day-long and evening trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. For more information, please contact Student Intern Hallie Trauger at htrauger@uchicago.edu

What’s Next for Chicago
Tuesday, December 1
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Roosevelt University, Congress Lounge (430 South Michigan Avenue)
Despite losing the Olympic bid, how can Chicago harness all the energy put into the bid to create a better city for every? Join the conversation featuring University of Chicago American History professor Adam Green and other diverse perspectives coming together to envision possible futures for Chicago. This program is free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made online, by email, at events@prairie.org, or by calling 312.422.5580.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Monday, Nov. 23 and Tuesday, Nov. 24, Angelic Organics Learning Center will be preparing our fall fundraising appeal mailing, and we need help stuffing and stamping envelopes! If you're available and willing to help, please respond directly with Corrine Reynolds at 773-288-5462

Splash! Chicago seeks new members to join our Student and Schools Recruitment Team. If you are at all interested in education and its structures, working with kids, or preaching atop lunch tables, you should sign up! Please call us at 773-789-7347 OR email splashchicago@gmail.com if you want to join our Recruitment Team.

Tutors in all subjects are needed at Hyde Park High School and John Hope HS. Please contact John MacDougall at 312-853-3932 or jmacdoug@roosevelt.edu

Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council is seeking ushers, greeters, and collection counters for the annual Thanksgiving Day Worship Service – Rockefeller memorial Chapel, starting at 11:00am. For more information, contact Allan Lindrup via email to either uusj@sbcglobal.net or hpkifc@hotmail.com, or by phone to 773-642-8061.

A 7th grade teacher, Jenny Jankowski, at Tarkington Elementary school is seeking UofC students interested in mentoring her 7th graders. The school is located at 71st and Kedzie, and is Chicago's first “green school”. (There’s a special need for mentoring male students who could benefit from a positive role model.) To get involved, contact Jennifer Jankowski at JLJankowski@cps.edu

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Heart of Chicago Writing Contest
Deadline: November 30, 2009
Students should describe how they view The Heart of Chicago in one of three categories: Poetry, Narrative Fiction, and Narrative Non-fiction. Any aspect of the city may be considered for subject matter. Submissions will be accepted via email to katesoto@uchicago.edu and for more information visit: chicagostudies.uchicago.edu/heartofchicago_writing.html

Check out the “The Blog That Works,” the Chicago Studies blog: https://blogs.uchicago.edu/chicagostudies/2009/11/from_cobb_hall_to_the_corn_fie.html If you are interested in being a blogger, contact Chicago Studies Program Coordinator Rachel Cromidas at cromidas@uchicago.edu

Humanities in Action
Due: January 23, 2010
The HIA summer fellowship programs bring together international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and human rights doctrines in democratic societies. Separate programs will take place for five weeks in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, New York, and Warsaw. Students of all majors and academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Full application materials are available at: http://www.humanityinaction.org/apply/usa

Applications for Teaching Artists through the Teaching Lab Collaborations (or TLC for short), have just gone live on-line here. For more information regarding job requirements and details, contact Jessica Hutchinson at jesshutchinson@uchicago.edu

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Students Rally for Coalition Building
Chelsie Sluyk, Staff Writer

Last Monday night, students from across the University filled the common meeting room of 5710 for a workshop on coalition building. A remarkably apt meeting place, the old brick Hyde Park home was itself the product of a coalition; the LGBTQ student groups and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs joined together to petition the University for a gathering space for students to engage in community building and programming. On this night, undergraduates, graduate students, and staff spent the evening trading stories, discussing potential scenarios, and brainstorming successful techniques for bringing different activist groups together to achieve their goals.

“The Coalition Building workshop was a time to allow student activists the time to think critically on how and why they can form partnerships. The workshop was there to challenge activists to think about the work that they hope to be doing on/off campus with other students as well as with community organizations” said David Klein, Social Justice program intern and organizer of the event. While some participants came just to learn about social justice and see what was going on in the University’s activist community, many students came as representatives of their student organizations. Among those who attended were representatives from Southside Solidarity Network, ArtShould, Partnership for the Advancement of Refugee Rights, Green Campus Initiative, Feminist Majority, and many others. “It was great to see representation from so many different parts of the university and many different kinds of activists.” Klein said, “I think some great conversations were sparked by the event.”

Third-year Fundamentals major, Will Larson, co-director of ArtShould, a campus group focused on arts tutoring in Chicago Public Schools and building a connected and active arts community on campus, said of his reasons for participating in the event, “Since so many of our goals involve collaboration or coalition-building, I wanted to take what first-hand experience I've had of that process to this workshop, both to reflect on my knowledge and hear other perspectives.”

The workshop was facilitated by Alex Poeter, Director of Organizing for the Chicago Freedom School and long time advocate at the local youth-based social justice organization. Drawing from his 18 years of experience working in coalitions, he discussed the opportunities and unexpected challenges. Poeter was enthusiastic about having the chance to work with U of C students. “It seems like a lot of students are involved in coalitions or interested in getting more engaged,” Poeter said, “it is important for them to be as aware as possible through learning and being engaged with their communities, and to build long-term goals around that.”

Many of the students planned to put what they learned at this meeting into action. First year Masters student in the Social Service Administration Program, Veronica Mercado, is part of the Community Economic Development Organization, which is working with the Harris school toward the goal of “reinvesting in the community that surrounds Hyde Park and the University of Chicago.”

The Coalition Building Workshop is one of many events organized by the Social Justice program year round. They offer one workshop each quarter addressing a topic that students are interested in learning about. They also host bi-quarterly get-togethers as well as their annual event, the Student Activist Conference, a day-long event held in January. This winter’s conference will explore the topic of “working across difference,” challenging students to “think about what it means to work in a diverse community or to be working on intersectional issues,” Klein says.

Student Activism is a major part of the college experience for many University of Chicago students, and new resources and educational opportunities continue to emerge all the time. Reflecting on the time he has dedicated to positive, active engagement in the communities he belongs to over the past two and half years, ArtShould’s Will Larson concludes, “At times I think I've learned more about myself and other people through this work than through coursework, and it is definitely something I think is worth devoting a lot of my time to.”

To find out more about the Social Justice Program and its events, contact David Klein at djk@uchicago.edu

The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Investing in Diversity at the U of C










EVENTS
UTEP Information Sessions
November 16, November 19, and November 20
5:00pm
BSLC 202
The University’s Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) will be hosting several recruiting meetings next week. UTEP aims to recruit students who are committed to social justice and wish to prepare to teach within Chicago Public Schools. Students can enter UTEP’s program in the fall of their 4th year or following graduation. Learn more about the information sessions and UTEP at http://utep.uchicago.edu/

“origins.” An art exhibit
Thursday, November 19 (6pm – 10pm) – Friday, November 20 (3pm – 10pm)
5710 S. Woodlawn
Engage the local community through art, music, and discussion; featuring works by artists from Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Palestine and Chicago. The event features Skylah Sensahrae’s Photography, Bronzeville and City Infrastructure, Adama Wiltshire’s Painting from “Women of the L” and Gihad Ali’s Spoke Word Poetry. For more information contact Adama Wiltshire: adama@uchicago.edu

UCSC Autumn Quarter Day of Service!
Saturday, November 21st
9:00am – 12:00pm
Student volunteers are encouraged to sign up in groups to walk or bus out to community service organizations and sites around Chicago and the South Side. Some of the tasks this year may include: Preparing and serving food at a soup kitchen, setting up a winter rooftop garden, organizing canned goods at a food pantry, and supervising children at a shelter. Signup at ucsc.uchicago.edu/pages/dayofservice.html

Summer Links Information Session
Monday, November 30th
6:00pm – 7:00pm
Ida Noyes First Floor Lounge, (1212 E. 59th Street)
Summer Links offers an intensive 10-week internships to 30 returning College and graduate students committed to public service, community building, and social change. Interns receive a $4 000 stipend and participate in weekly day-long and evening trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. For more information, please contact Student Intern Hallie Trauger at htrauger@uchicago.edu

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Tutors in all subjects are needed at Hyde Park High School and John Hope HS. Please contact John MacDougall at 312-853-3932 or jmacdoug@roosevelt.edu

G.E.D. Tutors needed who can commit 2-3 hours Monday thru Friday for one-on-one tutoring or need to complete student teaching or internship requirements. For more information call Allison – 773-675-4610.

Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council is seeking ushers, greeters, and collection counters for the annual Thanksgiving Day Worship Service – Rockefeller memorial Chapel, starting at 11:00am. For more information, contact Allan Lindrup via email to either uusj@sbcglobal.net or hpkifc@hotmail.com, or by phone to 773-642-8061.

A 7th grade teacher, Jenny Jankowski, at Tarkington Elementary school is seeking UofC students interested in mentoring her 7th graders. The school is located at 71st and Kedzie, and is Chicago's first “green school”. (There’s a special need for mentoring male students who could benefit from a positive role model.) To get involved, contact Jennifer Jankowski at JLJankowski@cps.edu

Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival is the second oldest film festival of its kind in the US and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBT films and videos each and every year. Reeling 2009 is presenting nearly over 50 programs over 11 days from November 5-15. There are many volunteer opportunities for box office people, ushers, drivers, event coordinators, and volunteers for schedule distribution. If you're interested in volunteering, email chicagolgff@chicagofilmmakers.org or call (773) 293-1447.

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Check out the “The Blog That Works,” the Chicago Studies blog: https://blogs.uchicago.edu/chicagostudies/2009/11/from_cobb_hall_to_the_corn_fie.html If you are interested in being a blogger, contact Chicago Studies Program Coordinator Rachel Cromidas at cromidas@uchicago.edu

Humanities in Action
Due: January 23, 2010
The HIA summer fellowship programs bring together international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and human rights doctrines in democratic societies. Separate programs will take place for five weeks in Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, New York, and Warsaw. Students of all majors and academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. Full application materials are available at: http://www.humanityinaction.org/apply/usa

Applications for Teaching Artists through the Teaching Lab Collaborations (or TLC for short), have just gone live on-line here. For more information regarding job requirements and details, contact Jessica Hutchinson at jesshutchinson@uchicago.edu

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Investing in Diversity at the U of C
Anna Tenuta, Staff Writer

Before the start of the 2008-2009 school year, the University of Chicago announced that the entering freshman class would be "the most diverse group of students ever admitted to the college". The Class of 2012, according to the UChicago News Office, has record percentages of African-American, Hispanic and Latino, Asian and international students; additionally, the number of students in the Class of 2012 from lower-income families is 28 percent greater than the Class of 2011. This record diversity at the U of C represents a major step forward. Encouraging historically underrepresented, low income, first generation and minorities from Chicago's inner city and all over the country is a major challenge and goal for college admissions.

To meet this challenge, Investment in Diversity, a partnership between the UCSC and the Office of College Admissions, offers free campus tours of the University of Chicago campus to interested groups of 6th through 9th graders. Through the Investment in Diversity tours, the university hopes to make the students feel comfortable and welcomed on campus, in order to ultimately increase the recruitment of diverse students at the U of C. Visitors come from all over the country to participate - from Texas to the suburbs of Illinois to Nashville to just a few blocks away from campus.

"The University has the unique opportunity, because we are located in such a diverse community of Hyde Park and in the Chicagoland area, to reach out to those diverse groups within the area and let them know that there is this great university in their midst and that college is really not so inaccessible," explained Samira Patel, student intern for Investment in Diversity.

Patel really emphasized the importance of reaching out to these students of diversity at a young age to remind them that they have what it takes to make college a reality and to encourage them to begin taking the steps they need to increase their willingness and ability to apply, enroll and thrive at the U of C. The tours offer them a sneak peek of the college life, giving them the enthusiasm to think ahead about activities, interests, applying for scholarships and finding the right fit.

When greeting the groups of students upon arrival at the university, Klaas Van Der Wey, program supervisor of Investment in Diversity, explained that he always makes it a point to tell them they are "honorary UChicago students for the day", in order to make the experience more real for them, something they can consider in the future as a reality.

From June to August alone, tours were given to over 400 visitors. Just this week, a group of young women from Chicago Bulls College Prep on the west side were given a tour of campus.

"My favorite part of being a tour guide is seeing the smiles on student’s faces when you tell them that they’re smart and that they can achieve great things as long as they stay focused and work hard," explained Chase Weldon, a second-year undergraduate student who has been a tour guide for Investment in Diversity for just over a year.

According to Van Der Wey, the student tour guides who volunteer in Investment in Diversity are what make the program so strong. He said that they are able "to make the important connections with the students so naturally, it is mostly just sharing their personal experiences and, inevitably, sharing their excitement about this place".

In order to meet the demands of the tour requests that the program receives, Investment in Diversity hopes to continue recruiting such dedicated, enthusiastic students to volunteer as tour guides.

"We hope to become more visible in the university community and also in the greater Chicagoland area. And we want to be able to provide tours that are influential to the students that come here," said Patel, about her personal goals for the program this year.

The Investment in Diversity tours last only an hour, but the program aims to have a lasting impact on the students long after they have left the main quad. This is fully embodied in the program's tagline this year, encouraging both the university and the visitors to take part in these tours -- "One hour can change a life".

"At the end of a tour, it makes me feel great when the students' teachers come up to me and thank me for giving their students something positive, and say that they wish they had more black male role models for their students," explained Weldon.

To get involved or volunteer to be a student tour guide for Investment in Diversity, please contact Samira Patel at spa342@uchicago.edu.



The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Making Your Job Become Your Job


*Photo Courtesy of ssa.uchicago.edu




EVENTS
Fighting Displacement from South Africa to Chicago: A Visit from Ashraf Cassiem
Wednesday, November 11
7:30pm
Harper 140
Hear reflections from Ashraf Cassiem (lead organizer of South Africa’s Anti-Eviction Campaign) on the situation confronting South Africa's poor, the resistance they have organized, and lessons to be learned by groups struggling for the right to housing in a U.S. housing market plagued by foreclosure, evictions and destruction of public housing. Presented by Southside Solidarity Network & Students for a Democratic Society.

Summer Links Information Session
Wednesday, November 11
6:00pm – 7:00pm
5710 S. Woodlawn Community Lounge
Learn about the Summer Links program, an intensive 10-week internships to 30 returning College and graduate students committed to public service, community building, and social change. Interns receive a $4 000 stipend and the option of subsidized on-campus housing, and participate in weekly day-long and evening trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. For more information, contact Trudi Langendorf at trudi@uchicago.edu or (773) 834-2699.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Tutors in all subjects are needed at Hyde Park High School and John Hope HS. Please contact John MacDougall at 312-853-3932 or jmacdoug@roosevelt.edu

G.E.D. Tutors needed who can commit 2-3 hours Monday thru Friday for one-on-one tutoring or need to complete student teaching or internship requirements. For more information call Allison – 773-675-4610.

Hyde Park-Kenwood Interfaith Council is seeking ushers, greeters, and collection counters for the annual Thanksgiving Day Worship Service – Rockefeller memorial Chapel, starting at 11:00am. For more information, contact Allan Lindrup via email to either uusj@sbcglobal.net or hpkifc@hotmail.com, or by phone to 773-642-8061.

Math tutors are needed for a class of boys at Madison Elementary School (74th Dorchester). For more details please contact Susan Peters Susan.Peters@uchospitals.edu or 773-702-5037.

Volunteer for the Chicago Academic Games League (CAGL), a math competition for middle school youth on the University of Chicago campus once a month. Teach the students once a week for 1-2 hours and be there to support them at the tournaments. For more information contact Boryana at boryanalevterova@gmail.com

Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival is the second oldest film festival of its kind in the US and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBT films and videos each and every year. Reeling 2009 is presenting nearly over 50 programs over 11 days from November 5-15. There are many volunteer opportunities for box office people, ushers, drivers, event coordinators, and volunteers for schedule distribution. If you're interested in volunteering, email chicagolgff@chicagofilmmakers.org or call (773) 293-1447.

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Become a part of campusCATALYST - a student-driven, pro-bono consulting service for nonprofits - and earn the opportunity to learn from your peers in a unique educational experience. You can apply online at http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/campuscatalyst.org/viewform?formkey=dENJV01BMGp4bjhrY1I4Z0ZHYVA0clE6MA. The deadline for applications is November 7th at midnight.

Due: November 12, 2009
The Program for the Global Environment and the Environmental Studies program will sponsor an undergraduate run conference this year. The program will provide funding, staffing, and advising for this project and invite interested undergraduates in any major or concentration to submit preliminary proposals. (Preference will be given to well structured proposals that address interdisciplinary approaches to environmental topics. Group submissions are encouraged.) If you are interested in participating, please send a one to two page proposal to maddie@uchicago.edu by November 12, 2009.

Applications for Teaching Artists through the Teaching Lab Collaborations (or TLC for short), have just gone live on-line here. For more information regarding job requirements and details, contact Jessica Hutchinson at jesshutchinson@uchicago.edu

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Making Your Job Become Your Job
Anne Groggel, Staff Writer

The daunting question of what life holds after graduation lurks through most students’ minds. Unemployment seems terrifying but, to some, what is worse is the fear of working in a passionless job. How are students to attain meaningful jobs where they feel they make a difference and not simply become a suit sitting inside a fluorescent lit cubicle?

This week we explore initiatives that address these questions for both graduate and undergraduate students.

The School of Social Service Administration (SSA) is hosting "Nonprofits and Social Innovation Workshop" a series of four sessions to help graduate students of all programs and divisions build leadership skills necessary to pursue employment in nonprofit organizations. These lunchtime workshops target students committed to working within the field of nonprofit human services. Taught by ROI Ventures, LLC (a strategy firm that works with business, philanthropy and social entrepreneurship clients and SSA faculty) these workshops cover the topics of Money and Meaning, Social Entrepreneurship Intelligence Quotient, Case Study of Social Enterprise, and Knowledge Transfer.

Filing into the classroom while picking out their sandwich from the assorted prepackaged lunch boxes, students hoped that the first workshop held on October 20, would speak to the tools needed to having a career and invoking social change. One participant, Julie Garfield, a second year student at SSA hoped, "to gain exposure to organizations and programs that have made a significant impact, organizations that change the way we think about delivering effective services to individuals and communities."

The workshop led by Rachel Newton Bellow and Suzanne Muchin with ROI Ventures, explored “the intersection of money and meaning.” Muchin, founder of ROI Ventures, also serves on the Visiting Committee for the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and is a frequent guest lecturer for the Booth School of Business. Muchin explains, "We are sharing concepts that we wish someone had shared with us when we were at the front end of our career paths working in organizations and businesses that were seeking to achieve both social and financial success. In the best case scenario, students will have an entirely new framework, or lens, for the work they are pursuing. We would like them to see the world differently, and to question some of the traditional paradigms that exist in the non-profit sector in particular."

At SSA, Associate Professor Scott Allard helped organized the workshop series. He sees the program as functioning to "connect University of Chicago graduate students from different professional programs on campus, who share an interest in working with or within nonprofit organizations to develop solutions for the most pressing problems facing society. Part of the training offered through the Workshop relates to skill and leadership development, but bringing students into direct contact with some of the most prominent leaders and entrepreneurs in the local nonprofit sector is another critical piece."

For undergraduate (and graduate) students alike, Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) and the University Community Service Center partner to provide Public and Social Service programming (PASS). Historically an annual one-day event, PASS is now a series of year-long programs introducing students interested in public service, social service and non-profit careers to alumni and organization representatives working in these fields. In partnership with CAPS, students receive support in these career fields through exploration, job search skill training, resume writing assistance and networking events.

After a successful kick-off event held on October 28th, Dillan Siegler an Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Development is optimistic of the benefits to students through this new delivery of PASS programming. The next in the series of events is “A Look Inside the Federal Government”, this Monday, November 9, from 5:30pm – 7:00pm in Ida Noyes’ West Lounge. Sponsored by the Annenberg Speakers Bureau through the Partnership for Public Service, this event features Bernard G. Deazley IV, MPA, FACHE, Health Systems Specialist at Portland Oregon’s Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

More information on these and other public and social service events can be found at:

School of Social Service Administration
http://www.ssa.uchicago.edu/
Career Advising and Planning Services
http://caps.uchicago.edu
University Community Service Center
http://ucsc.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Public Interest Program
http://ucpip.uchicago.edu


The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Cutting Education Costs and Raising Community Engagement











EVENTS
North Halsted Street Halloween Parade
Saturday, October 31
3:30 – 9:00pm
Belmont & Halsted
Celebrate Halloween by working at the North Halsted Street Halloween Parade presented by Triangle Neighbors Association. Volunteers are needed for registration (3:30-6:30) and to be parade marshals (5:30 – 9pm).

Zócalo in Chicago: “What Does Immigrant Integration Mean Now?”
Friday, November 6
2:00pm
Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave)
Over one million people became legal immigrants last year, and another million — a record number — took the oath of citizenship. As pressure mounts for Barack Obama and Congress to enact immigration reform, writers, advocates, and political experts visit Zócalo to ask what — beyond mere legal status, paperwork and oaths — is required to make immigrants feel like a part of American society.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Become a part of campusCATALYST - a student-driven, pro-bono consulting service for nonprofits - and we'll give you the opportunity to learn from your peers in a unique educational experience. You can apply online at http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/campuscatalyst.org/viewform?formkey=dENJV01BMGp4bjhrY1I4Z0ZHYVA0clE6MA. The deadline for applications is November 7th at midnight.

The Hyde Park Food Pantry delivery will be Tuesday, November 3rd from 8:00am – 11:00am. If you are interested in helping, contact Jay Mulberry at 773-288-1242.

G.E.D. Tutors needed who can commit 2-3 hours Monday thru Friday for one-on-one tutoring or need to complete student teaching or internship requirements. For more information call Allison – 773-675-4610.

Volunteer for the Chicago Academic Games League (CAGL), a math competition for middle school youth on the University of Chicago campus once a month. Teach the students once a week for 1-2 hours and be there to support them at the tournaments. Training starts next week. For more information contact Boryana at boryanalevterova@gmail.com

Would you like to make an invaluable contribution to the life of an individual? Warm, personable older woman needs support and training in basic computer skills in order to find employment. Could bring her laptop to you or work over the phone. For more information, e-mail Keith at dipplek@uchicago.edu

Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival is the second oldest film festival of its kind in the US and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBT films and videos each and every year. Reeling 2009 is presenting nearly over 50 programs over 11 days from November 5-15. There are many volunteer opportunities for box office people, ushers, drivers, event coordinators, and volunteers for schedule distribution. If you're interested in volunteering, email chicagolgff@chicagofilmmakers.org or call (773) 293-1447.

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Become a part of campusCATALYST - a student-driven, pro-bono consulting service for nonprofits - and earn the opportunity to learn from your peers in a unique educational experience. You can apply online at http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/campuscatalyst.org/viewform?formkey=dENJV01BMGp4bjhrY1I4Z0ZHYVA0clE6MA. The deadline for applications is November 7th at midnight.

Applications for Teaching Artists through the Teaching Lab Collaborations (or TLC for short), have just gone live on-line here. For more information regarding job requirements and details, contact Jessica Hutchinson at jesshutchinson@uchicago.edu

National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is launching Resolve to Fight Poverty at the Resolve 2009 conference at Loyola University in Chicago on November 5-8, 2009. To register, visit http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/conference

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Cutting Education Costs and Raising Community Engagement
Chelsie Sluyk, Staff Writer

With budgetary concerns looming at both the government and household level, students and parents are becoming increasingly concerned with how they will pay for college. Federal Work Study is one way that students can earn money toward tuition and help make college more affordable. Last January, University of Chicago student Jami Garton began searching for a job that would allow her to use her work/study funds in a way that would supplement her education with work experience and engagement in the community. She found that job with the Blackstar Project, a south side non-profit that works to improve the lives of minority populations in the Chicago area. The Blackstar Project (BSP) is one of many local non-profits that has partnered with the University of Chicago to offer students work/study positions that get students working off-campus in jobs that allow them to interact with the community while building job skills and making connections that will help them find employment after graduation.

Walking up to the door of BSP’s second story office overlooking Martin Luther King Drive, you first notice the organization’s bright yellow sign on the door, and under it a quote from founder Phillip Jackson, “Everyone who walks through these doors should be prepared to work like hell and work with everyone to achieve our mission.” Their mission is to provide educational services “that help Chicago students succeed academically and become knowledgeable and productive citizens with the support of their families and community.” Inside, the atmosphere is lively and family like. Two large, brightly-colored rooms are filled with inspirational posters and sobering statistics. Employees sit at desks scattered around the room. Garton teases a coworker about posing for my camera. It feels like a family. Everyone is busy answering phones, organizing tutoring programs, writing grants, and researching social issues in the community. Philip Jackson describes the environment as “working under fire. When we hire a UofC student, we know there will be a level of consistency, excellence and skill that will be brought to the job. We’re able to convert their skills and knowledge set and inject them directly into the community.” Last March, Garton was given the opportunity to organize an entire press conference for the Million Father March, an initiative that encourages male care-takers to bring their children to work for the day. “She hit it out of the park,” Jackson says. Through her work at BSP, she has acquired many skills that will help her as she pursues her career goals. “I’ve learned a lot about working with the media and grant writing. I’ve been really happy working off campus, and the BSP has been really flexible with my school schedule.”

Garton is one of two work/study students employed along with other community members at BSP. One of her co-workers, Kirsten Rokke, started out as a work study students six years ago. After graduation, she returned to BSP, and has now been working as a regular employee for five years. She laughing remarks that she’s learned “everything [she] knows!” from working at BSP. As part of her job, Rokke organizes efforts to engage parents end empower them in terms of how they support their childrens’ education. She manages programs that support over 400 students. Recalling her time as a University of Chicago students working at BSP, Rokke says, “It helps to break out of the feeling on campus of being someone isolated from the community. You get a very different experience from what you get on campus.”

Garton is one of 1,544 U of C students who became eligible for Federal Work Study in the ’08-’09 school year. Of those 1,053 accessed their aid. As more students seek to take advantage of the funds available to them, the University provides an opportunity to do it in a way that will enhance their educational experience and personal goals. Currently, there are 67 employers with over 100 positions at local non-profits, schools, and government organizations available for students with an interest in improving their communities and addressing important national issues like education, poverty, and health. Local partners include organization like Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Strive Tutoring, The Blackstar Project, and La Rabida Children’s Hospital, and UCSC is constantly making new connections based on student and community demand.

Organizations hire throughout the year, with most job opportunities happening in the Fall. Students generally work around ten hours per week. For students eligible for full-time summer work-study employment, UCSC also has summer opportunities available. Currently, about 75 students are participating in Federal Work Study through UCSC’s off-campus federal work/study program.

Dealing with the burden of student loans is also becoming more of an issue among recent graduates. In addition to helping students engage with their communities, these positions give students valuable work experience and many of the non-profits will engage in outreach to help their student-employees find jobs after graduation.

“It’s worth it to work off campus,” Garton says, “My experience doing things like the Million Father March press conference was exhilarating, and it’s good to learn more about the community you live in.”

The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: U of C Students Prove “ArtShould" Matter in Neighborhood Schools








EVENTS
Indoors Chicago Bears Tailgate
Sunday, October 25
12:00pm
St. Thomas the Apostle, School Gym (5467 S. Woodlawn)
St. Thomas the Apostle hosts an indoor tailgate for the Bears vs. Bengals football game. $10 donations include all you can eat food and one beverage ticket.

Community Organizing 101
Sunday, October 25
4:00pm – 6:00pm
Harper, Room 150
Southside Solidarity Network presents part 1 of a three part introduction to community organizing in the tradition of Saul Alinsky and Barack Obama. This week’s session is entitled “Relationships.” Dinner is also provided. Email mhopwood@uchicago.edu to register or visit southsidesn.wordpress.com for more information.

Public and Social Service Program Kick-Off
Wednesday, October 28
6:00pm
Ida Noyes Hall
Kick-off a full year of programming focused on public and social service careers. Learn about the 2009-10 Public and Social Service Programs and network with alumni in the non-profit and public sectors. With questions, contact Dillan Siegler at dsiegler@uchicago.edu.

Invisible Children Film Screening
Thursday, October 29
7:00pm
Stuart 102
Come to the Invisible Children documentary screening on Thursday October 29th at 7pm! The roadies will be here from San Diego to show the most updated documentary on the peace talks in Northern Uganda. Food is provided!

Zócalo in Chicago: “What Does Immigrant Integration Mean Now?”
Friday, November 6
2:00pm
Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave)
Over one million people became legal immigrants last year, and another million — a record number — took the oath of citizenship. As pressure mounts for Barack Obama and Congress to enact immigration reform, writers, advocates, and political experts visit Zócalo to ask what — beyond mere legal status, paperwork and oaths — is required to make immigrants feel like a part of American society.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer for the Chicago Academic Games League (CAGL), a math competition for middle school youth on the University of Chicago campus once a month. Teach the students once a week for 1-2 hours and be there to support them at the tournaments. Training starts next week. For more information contact Boryana at boryanalevterova@gmail.com

Training-to-Transition needs people to conduct mock interviews as well as panelists in the areas of Creative Art & Culinary & Entrepreneurial, Medical, Health & Fitness, and Construction. For more information contact Raven Moore at rmoore@umojacorporation.org

Pershing West Middle School is looking for volunteers to judge science fair projects in late November. Everyone is invited to be a judge for the science fair regardless of majoring in science. For more information, contact Eve Ewing at elewing@cps.edu or 773-534-9240

Would you like to make an invaluable contribution to the life of an individual? Warm, personable older woman needs support and training in basic computer skills in order to find employment. Could bring her laptop to you or work over the phone. For more information, e-mail Keith at dipplek@uchicago.edu

Math tutors are needed for a class of boys at Madison Elementary School (74th Dorchester). For more details please contact Susan Peters Susan.Peters@uchospitals.edu 773-702-5037

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Students Serve, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is accepting applications for service project grants. Any college student with an idea about how to address a local, national, or global problem can submit the online application at StudentsServe.org.

National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is launching Resolve to Fight Poverty at the Resolve 2009 conference at Loyola University in Chicago on November 5-8, 2009. To register, visit http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/conference

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
U of C Students Prove “ArtShould” Matter in Neighborhood Schools
Anna Tenuta, Staff Writer

At the start of the 2009-2010 school year, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a letter to school and education community leaders around the country stressing the importance of arts as a core academic subject in public schools.

"The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively," Duncan, who previously served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, wrote in the letter. "These qualities can be especially important in improving learning among students from economically disadvantaged circumstances.”

As the Obama Administration continues work on education reform with some focus on the importance of the arts, University of Chicago students have launched a new project to take matters into their own hands.

The Community Service RSO appropriately named ArtShould, is made up of ten UofC students passionate about art. Once a week, they head to Ray Elementary School to teach a visual arts after-school program to about twenty kids. The students range in age from six years to eleven years old.

“When ArtShould was getting started, we all got together and defined ‘art’ as a tool which anyone can use to digest other things in life,” explained Alex Spacht, a second-year director of ArtShould. “Art has always been something we go to to understand what is going on with us, and that is what we are trying to share with the kids.”

For the young students at the Ray School, art may help with issues in their home life or academics, but it may also develop into a passion.

“Each week, we work with things that are everyday materials, showing the kids that they don’t have to have canvases or oil paint to create art,” explained Natasha Davis, a third-year director of ArtShould. “We’re showing them that you can make art wherever you are with whatever material you have.”

This week, the kids are continuing a lesson on primary colors and introducing words to tell a story with both image and text. Some construction paper, old magazines and a few glue sticks are all the kids need. Once the students enter the classroom, they are anxious to begin their art projects. One eight-year-old third grade boy holds up his picture and enthusiastically says, “My art is cool.”

The UofC student teachers engage in one-on-one conversations with each of their students, filling a great desire for attention at the end of the day from many of the kids. While working on their projects, the kids chat excitedly, sharing materials and asking questions about everyday things.

“When is your birthday?” asks one nine-year-old girl. When one student starts to draw himself as Batman, the questions quickly turn to “What are you going to be for Halloween?”

Still in its definitive stages, ArtShould has grown by leaps and bounds since it was imagined last year. Davis, who co-founded the organization, explains that there are two separate goals for the organization: “to create an arts community for UChicago students and to share our passion with kids in the community who may otherwise not have the chance to make art”.

With support from the University of Chicago Women’s Board, ArtShould is now an established weekly program at the Ray School, but the directors hope to expand it further.

“We started with Ray [School] because their funding for arts was cut a lot last year so they were very open to the idea,” explained Will Larsen, a second-year who is also a director of ArtShould. “There was not only space there, but a desire for the program.”

Davis, Larsen, and Spacht share in their goals to reach out to other CPS elementary and middle schools soon to spread the voice and impact of art.

On her collage, one of the nine-year-old girls, who says she likes to get to come to ArtShould after school to “have fun and use color”, decides to cut and paste words to write a riddle about her image: “You live in it and you can always come back even if you leave. It is big. It is nice.”

The answer to her riddle: home.

To learn more or get involved in ArtShould, please contact Natasha Davis at davisn@uchicago.edu.


The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Students, Community Fight Food Desert









EVENTS
Community Organizing 101
Sunday, October 18
4:00pm – 6:00pm
Harper, Room 150
Southside Solidarity Network presents part 1 of a three part introduction to community organizing in the tradition of Saul Alinsky and Barack Obama. This week’s session is entitled “Power.” Dinner is also provided. Email mhopwood@uchicago.edu to register or visit southsidesn.wordpress.com for more information.

Summer Links Information Session
Thursday, October 22
6:00pm
Classics, Room 110
Summer Links is a paid internship program open to returning College and graduate students in which students work Monday through Thursday at non-profit and community-based organizations, dedicating Fridays and Wednesday evenings to trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. For more information, contact Trudi Langendorf at trudi@uchicago.edu or (773) 834-2699.

Human Rights Minor Information Session
Friday, October 23
12:00pm – 1:30pm
Social Science Tea Room, Room 201
In 2008-09, the College Council approved a Minor in Human Rights. Eight students in the class of 2009 graduated with a Human Rights minor, with majors ranging from Political Science to Biology. Are you interested in learning more about the Human Rights Minor? Susan Gzesh, Senior Lecturer in the College Executive Director of the Human Rights Program, will discuss possibilities within the minor.

Public and Social Service Program Kick-Off
Wednesday, October 28
6:00pm
Ida Noyes Hall
Kick-off a full year of programming focused on public and social service careers. Learn about the 2009-10 Public and Social Service Programs and network with alumni in the non-profit and public sectors. With questions, contact Dillan Siegler at dsiegler@uchicago.edu.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteer for the Chicago Academic Games League (CAGL), a math competition for middle school youth on the University of Chicago campus once a month. Teach the students once a week for 1-2 hours and be there to support them at the tournaments. Training starts next week. For more information contact Boryana at boryanalevterova@gmail.com

Help maintain Jackson Park's restored prairies on the final Jackson Park Volunteer Work Day of the 2009 year. Groups will meet at the Darrow Bridge side of the Museum of Science and Industry. For more information, contact Ross Peterson at 773-486-0505.

Training-to-Transition needs people to conduct mock interviews as well as panelists in the areas of Creative Art & Culinary & Entrepreneurial, Medical, Health & Fitness, and Construction. For more information contact Raven Moore at rmoore@umojacorporation.org

National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness is launching Resolve to Fight Poverty at the Resolve 2009 conference at Loyola University in Chicago on November 5-8, 2009. To register, visit http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/conference

INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Due: October 23 at 5:00pm
The LGBTQ Programming Office seeks students to be on the Student Advisory Board. The Board informs the LGBTQ Programming Office Director and the university administration of the needs of LGBTQ students and articulates the problems and issues currently facing LGBTQ students. To be considered for the board, fill out this application and email it to lgbtqpo@uchicago.edu.

Students Serve, a national 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is accepting applications for service project grants. Any college student with an idea about how to address a local, national, or global problem can submit the online application at StudentsServe.org.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Students, Community Fight Food Desert
Anne Groggel, Staff Writer

A report given in June 2009 by the United States Department of Agriculture cites that people living in low-income areas have limited access to healthier food choices in comparison to affluent areas. That means that it is not simply what one eats but where one lives that dictates diet-related health.

Research continues to come out on the link between areas of ‘food desert’ where residents lack access to nutritious food and poor-diet related health diseases. If ‘food deserts’ go unchecked Chicago will feel the ill-effects on public health especially during this time of economic hardship. Efforts of active resistance to this residential food imbalance are taking place nationally and within our community.

Strolling through the stands taking in the piles of fresh crisp apples and ornately grouped squash one experiences the 61st street Farmers Market's treasure trove of food. Hosted by the Experimental Station, the Farmers Market lasts from nine a.m to two p.m every Saturday. Besides the Market offering produce from an array of vendors, the weekly event also features chef demonstrations. As a nonprofit established in 2002, the Experimental Station puts on the weekly Farmers Market in order to address an ever-pressing need to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to communities like Woodlawn that suffer from a lack of supermarkets which offer wholesome foods.

The Farmers Market is just one of many initiatives undertaken by the Experimental Station. Their projects range from the Blackstone Bicycle Works which uses a retail bike shop to provide education and recreational opportunities for kids, to the Backstory Cafe, a women-owned coffee house that provides a social space for members of the community. Other programs include the Earn-a-Bike Program that allows local kids to rebuild bikes and after twenty-five hours of service they select their own refurnished bike and helmet. The Experimental Station also organizes the Invisible Institute Program, an organization of journalists who provide coverage to issues that usually go under the radar of social consciousness.

The Farmers Market seeks to elevate the Woodlawn neighborhood from a "food desert" with little access to fresh nutritious food. The market also provides space where community members intermingle and construct programming that promotes nutritional health. Participation from Chicago students and alumni along with community members helps to create this community effort to combat the lack of nutritious foods by the disadvantaged. Along with the market itself the Experimental Station offers a number of nutritional workshops and food-preparation events. This past weekend hosted a chef demo to learn about sustainable seafood and how to prepare it.

The 61st Street Farmers Market aims at providing fresh produce, meats, dairy products, and other amenities like soap, which from personal testing, smelled heavenly. Kendra Rutgers, a recent graduate from the Masters of Arts Program in the Humanities (MAPH) is currently volunteering with the experimental station.

"I've always appreciated farmers market but I'm really into the community orientation of this market. Because food stamp programs and the community doesn't have access to fresh food the produce this organization provides is so important” said Rutgers.

More than offering stalls bursting with local vegetables, fruit, meats, cheeses, and baked goods the Farmers Market offers a social space for the entire community to engage in dialogue about healthy eating. Students and Woodlawn residents unite toward a common goal of eradicating ‘food deserts’ and thereby helping curb diet-related heath complications.

Kate Miller, the volunteer coordinator for the Farmer's Market expressed that "Alumni who have settled in Woodlawn and have been volunteers enjoyed the participation and feeling like they are a part of creating services in their neighborhood.”

For students concerned with the time commitment of volunteering can still become involved. Miller explains that even helping to set up or take down for market day would be especially helpful. Set up for the market begins at 6:30am and lasts until 8:00am and breaking down the market begins at 2:00pm and lasts until 3:00pm.

If you can't make time to volunteer your services with this insightful nonprofit then take time on a Saturday morning to sample fine cheeses or perhaps eat a Nutella crepe. Such activities are an easy way to support local producers and help our community go green at the same time. If the Autumn cold is too much for you on a Saturday morning just wait for November 7th when the Farmer's Market moves inside the Experimental Station. If you're dreading your next trip to the grocery store take time to consider what you could purchase at the market which helps to implement healthy food into the community while providing business for local farmers. If still questioning the importance of accessibility to healthy food students should make time to watch the film 'Food, Inc.' shown by Doc Films on October 16th and 18th.

Whether helping set up stands or choosing to buy your apples at the market instead of the grocery story every student can make a difference in fighting the food imbalance in our community and Chicago at large.

If you're at all interested in getting involved with the Farmers Market email m-kate@att.net.



The University Community Service Center (UCSC) fosters the development of civic-minded students by providing substantive community service opportunities through community partnerships based on mutual trust and respect. If you have questions - how to get involved as a student or how to connect to students as a community organization - please contact us.

University Community Service Center
5525 S. Ellis Ave., Suite 160
Chicago IL, 60637
Tel: 773.753.4483
Fax: 773.834.1160
ucsc.uchicago.edu