3 tips for getting involved with your community

Service is the heart of what we do at buildOn—we believe service has the power to transform both the students who are serving and the communities they are working to change. Are you looking to serve? Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Direct service – Direct service makes for face-to-face interaction, meaning you’ll come to better understand the lives and needs of those you’re serving. You may even have a transformative experience yourself! Direct service activities include volunteering at senior citizens’ centers, working with veterans, helping out at a food pantry or soup kitchen, or even building a school alongside village members abroad.

2. Indirect service – Indirect service often has a wide scope and has the potential to impact an entire community. These kinds of activities include planting trees or urban gardens, painting murals, cleaning up graffiti, or holding school supply, book, or clothing drives.

3. Advocacy – Advocacy-based service is a great way to make an issue known to a large group of people and to inspire action. Pick an issue, whether it’s something like school truancy rates, health education, or global gender discrimination, and choose a way to make the problems and potential solutions known!