IN THIS ISSUE:
*Events
*Volunteer Opportunities
*Internships, Jobs, and Beyond...
*In the Spotlight: Service After College
SAVE THE DATE: 12th Annual Volunteer Recognition Reception
Monday, May 18th 2009
AVRR brings together community partners, students, faculty, staff, and administration to celebrate the hard-work, dedication and exemplary service in the community throughout this academic year. Nominations are now open for the following awards:
• President’s Volunteer Service Award
• Perry Herst Prize
• Faculty Service Award
• Staff Service Award
• CSRSO Award
• Turkington House Award
• Community Partner Award
Visit ucsc.uchicago.edu for award descriptions, eligibility and nomination forms.
EVENTS
Dance Marathon Study Break
Thursday, February 26
8:00-10:00pm
Hutch Commons
Last Dance Marathon Study Break of the year before the event on April 25th! Come get FREE FOOD from Jimmy John's and learn about how you can dance to make a difference. Includes a special speaker from the Children's Place Association and free goodies for our already signed-up dancers. Don't miss out!
5710 One Year Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, February 26
4:30-10:00pm
5710 S. Woodlawn
Celebrate 5710’s first full year of operation with RSO presentations, speakers, movies, games and wholesome fun. Following the cake cutting ceremony, programming includes various entertainment hosted by F.I.E.R.C.E., M.E.Ch.A., the Organization of Latin American Students, and the Organization of Black Students.
Founding Mothers and Fathers of Black History
Friday, February 27
8:30pm
Reynolds Club (McCormick Tribune Lounge)
PAECE (Performing Arts for Civic Education) hosts Black History Month performances featuring students from the University of Chicago, PAECE, and Woodlawn Charter School. Refreshments provided by Edwardo’s Pizza.
2009 Student Activist Conference
Saturday, February 28
10:30am-3:30pm
Ida Noyes Hall, Library/Lounge
Featuring a conversation with Bill Ayers on activism and education, the 2009 Student Activist Conference will bring together activists who pursue social change through a variety of vocations including education, art, religion, sex-work, and law. Panels include: Sex Workers Outreach Project Chicago, People's Law Office, Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition, and the South Chicago Art Center. RSVP to hwjacoby@uchicago.edu
Invisible Children Movie Screening
Tuesday, March 3
7:00pm
International House Assembly Hall (1414 E. 59th St)
The RSO Invisible Children, which works to raise awareness and funds for child
soldiers in Northern Uganda, will be welcoming the roadies from Invisible Children
on March 3rd at 7pm. The roadies will be screening their newest documentary and
discussing a nation wide day of awareness for child soldiers.
Info session for Urban Teacher Education Program
Wednesday, March 4
6:00pm-7:00pm
University Community Service Center – conference room (5525 S. Ellis Avenue)
If you want to hear from someone who has logged more than 40 years in and around schools about the incredible rewards of teaching in general and urban education in particular, this is the event for you. Stop by for pizza, conversation about the Urban Teacher Education program, and insight regarding Chicago Public Schools. **Please RSVP to Marv Hoffman: mhoffman@uchicago.edu**
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Volunteers are needed Tuesday, March 3rd for unloading food for the Hyde Park Food Pantry (Hyde Park Union Church, 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave). When there are enough volunteers, the work goes fast and takes only 20-40 minutes. Please contact MarleneVellinga (marvellinga@aol.com) for instructions. The Pantry distributes emergency supplies and groceries to residents living between 39th and 60th, Cottage to the lake.
The UC Comer Hospital Pediatric Mobile Unit is looking volunteers to help team members improve access to primary care for children and teens in communities on the Southside of Chicago. Volunteers will assist in facilitating patient flow, improve patient compliance, and classroom and Health Education classes. To find out more about this opportunity, contact Dr. Icy Cade-Bell at icade@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu.
INTERNSHIPS, JOBS, AND BEYOND...
Due: 02-28-2009
Nourish International is inviting you to be a part of the solution to global poverty by applying for our Chapter Founders Program. Nourish is accepting applications for its Chapter Founders Program and selecting students from 10 campuses across the country to receive professional training, support and $500 start-up capital. To start your application, go to http://www.nourishinternational.org/founders/nominate.php
Due: 03-09-2009
The Dr. Aizik Wolf Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship in Human Rights will fund one year of work, after graduation, at a non-governmental organization, government agency, or international body dedicated to human rights. The award consists of a $24,000 stipend for 12 months of full-time work, with some additional support for travel and/or relocation expenses. For more information on the application, contact Trudi Langendorf at Trudi@uchicago.edu
Due: 03-15-2009
The Fellows Alliance is a year-long paid fellowship program committed to building religious pluralism and organizing interfaith activities on campus. IFYC provides mentorship, a network of peer colleagues, access to a national network of interfaith youth work organizers, internship and professional development opportunities. Contact Hafsa Kanjwal for more information at hafsa@ifyc.org or at 312-573-8926.
Dr. Angela Perez Miller Scholarship 2009
Due: 03-27-2009
Named after the late Dr. Angela Perez Miller, who dedicated her life to the rights of Latinos in education and health, the scholarships are offered to first-year college students who are enrolled in an institution of higher learning in the amounts of $1000. To receive the application or if you have any questions please contact Melissa Gonzalez: (773)542-7077, melissa@latinospro.org
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Beat Goes On: Service after College
Mutisya Leonard, Staff Writer
Civic engagement has been for Philip Kovoor, AB ‘07, the collection of community encounters that have deepened the understanding of his own personal and professional goals. Now founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, National Coaching Fellows, Kovoor reflects on his work at UCSC a little over four years ago as a second year in the college.
During his tenure at UCSC, he served as Program Coordinator for UCSC’s Men in Service Program. Kovoor led academic programs that engaged neighborhood students with college volunteers in programs such as a Writer’s Studio and a University Service Mentorship Program. He considers that time as an important, impacting part of his life, “it’s altering; it has caused a shift in my perspectives” said Kovoor.
Like most students in the College, Kovoor had a serious academic investment in the educational process at University of Chicago. Classes he took in Public Policy and Political Philosophy cultivated his interest in education. Kovoor considers his academic involvements compare as equally to his service engagements. “In fact,” Kovoor says, “a lot of Truman, Marshall and Rhodes scholars from University of Chicago have been highly civically engaged. These students prove that you can commit time within a Chicago education for service.”
“Equally transformative about service is the experience of being able to connect with people in an arrangement that allows you to offer often life-changing experiences,” Kovoor explains. “The types of people you meet, the kind of interactions you find yourself in, alter your world view. Some of the most passionate people, the most committed, and selfless, the most socially conscious and committed citizens, I met as colleagues in service work. And this benefit, the great people you meet in service work…is often missed when people think about the value of their engagements. I have made such meaningful friendships, friendships I have long held on to ... And among the administrative staff at UCSC I have found mentors.”
“Community service additionally inspired an attitude of openness in me,” says Kovoor. A Marthomite Christian, Kovoor now lives in a Carmalite Pre-Novitiate Monastery, housed at St. Thomas the Apostle, along E. 55th St. The monastery invites religious scholars from around the globe. The guests are at different stages of religious journeying – some are considering joining the Carmalite Religious Order, others are Carmalites. “We pray three times a day, together,” he says, “share up to three meals a day. And I have learnt so much about myself, about my faith.”
Kovoor is quick to add that service engagements inspired his consideration of social entrepreneurship as a useful model for social change. He founded National Coaching Fellows in April 2008 following his graduation and after a short stint as a Teach for America Fellow in Hawaii in 2007. According to Kovoor, National Coaching Fellows, the first service corps of athletic coaches, recruits and trains undergraduate and graduate students to volunteer in high-need schools as athletic coaches leveraging the relationship between coach and player to promote academic achievement, personal development, and athletic success. In its pilot year, National Coaching Fellows recruited 16 corps members to work with up to 300 student athletes on Chicago’s South Side.
Kovoor will be attending Law School later in the fall, and looks to a public interest career. Kovoor’s vision for National Coaching Fellows is to lead it to a fully-fledged efficient national non-profit.
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
