What is Civic Engagement, and how do we serve community needs?
We define Civic Engagement as active involvement with diverse communities to address real world challenges. There are many different types of Civic Engagement and we strive to provide every kind of Civic Engagement opportunity to our students. We have three broad types of engagement:
Community-based learning: Students learn about real-world issues through active engagement within a community setting. Like any other project or reading assignment, a student’s community service involvement is an integral component of a specific course given for academic credit. We distinguish between community-based learning and volunteering because students engaged in course-based community service are required to demonstrate a particular skill or complete projects in relation to specific instructional objectives which are assessed by a college instructor in order to be given course credit.
The majority of the students served by the Center for Civic Engagement are doing community-based learning.
Volunteering: Any opportunity providing direct service to a not-for-profit organization. This type of civic engagement is optional for Drexel students and is not connected with academic credit or an academic assignment.
Philanthropy: Altruistic work to support a charitable cause or organization within the community, nationwide or worldwide. This may be raising money through 5-K runs, bake sales, or other fundraising projects.
How do I Prepare Students for Service?