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Community Service Opportunities For Majors In: Humanities & Social Sciences
"Through experiences in and out of the classroom students develop the habit of intellectual inquiry, prepare for challenging professions,
strengthen relationships with their communities and contribute productively to society."
-CSUF Mission Statement
There is no question that our faculty, staff, and students are actively involved in the Orange County community. The Volunteer and Service Center (VSC) also recognizes the wealth of volunteerism and service in the community. In order to enhance the wealth of the students, the VSC promotes additional community partnerships to build your leadership skills.
It is our civic duty to shift the focus and internal concerns from ourselves and apply our unique individual resources by exploring the creation of knowledge with others. Community-based learning is a commitment by the students and faculty, academic programs and institutions to put our knowledge, skills and values to work to identify and address problems that are important to our entire society.
Research shows that there are positive outcomes by participating in activities such as volunteerism and community service. It shows significant positive effects on academic performance (GPA, writing skills, and critical thinking skills), values (commitment to activism and to promoting racial understanding), self-efficacy, leadership (leadership activities, interpersonal skills), awareness of the world, career goals, and decisions to integrate service into life after college.
An excellent way to complement the academic learning process is through hands-on experience. An ideal way to get this experience is through community service and volunteerism. This involves applying your energy, skills, enthusiasm, and desire to make a difference in your world! The following are just a few examples of how you can get involved in a service project related to your major or career interests:
- PSYCHOLOGY
Volunteer at a crisis hotline; work with children in shelters, day care centers, and schools; work with people who are mentally ill; work with youth in transitional housing; volunteer in substance abuse clinics, hospitals, and prevention centers; lobby on behalf of people who are mentally ill. - CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CRIMINOLOGY
Volunteer in jails, detention centers, and half-way houses; mentor youth in the criminal justice system, or considered “high risk”; volunteer with victim assistance programs such as rape crisis organizations, support services for children involved in the courts, or with battered women’s programs; volunteer with the campus police; volunteer with recently released inmates and help ease their transition to life outside prison. - GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Volunteer with political campaigns; work with lobbying organizations on behalf of issues organization; get involved in local government; work with a public interest group; help elderly people and people with disabilities get to their polling locations on election day. - ANTHROPOLOGY
Take shelter residents, children, or nursing home residents on a tour of museums or digs; assist professors with research and documentation; do presentations at local schools on different cultural groups in the U.S. and throughout the world; work with refugees from other countries to preserve their heritage. - ECONOMICS
Work with a non-profit organization that is concerned with economic issues; lobby on behalf of economic concerns and issues; tutor fellow CSUF students in economics courses; form a consumer protection group, train members to investigate consumer complaints, and give information on how to make the Better Business Bureau aware of businesses with unfair/unethical practices; support legislation that is concerned with the needs of under-represented/low-income groups.
There are many ways for you to become involved in community service and gain hands-on experience related to your major, or career interests. The following are just a few examples of agencies with service opportunities related to the majors in your college.
- Disney Goals
- Anaheim (714) 956-4625
- Disney Goals is all about creating opportunities for children to grow through ambitious & fun activities to build self-esteem, improve discipline, teach values, encourage social interactions & create a better community. Disney Goals is designed with three major activity components and is committed to long term youth training, career counseling & referrals.
- Big Brothers/Big Sister of Orange County
- Tustin (714) 544-7773
- Mentoring program for at risk children in need are matched with qualified Big Brothers and Big Sisters or married couples from their own geographic area.
- Kids In Action (Project S.A.Y.)
- Anaheim (714) 765-5275
- “Kids in Action” is the city’s youth development program for children ages 5-12 yrs. Provides a comprehensive non-traditional recreation, sports, and outreach program in eight neighborhoods in Anaheim.
- AIDS Walk Orange County
- Irvine (949) 809-5750,
- AIDS walk is currently recruiting volunteers, walkers, walk teams, and corporate sponsors.
- Women Helping Women
- Costa Mesa (949) 631-2333
- Women Helping Women empowers needy and abused women to continue forward to economic self-sufficiency and life without violence. The organization is completely volunteer driven.
- Girls Incorporated of Orange County
- Costa Mesa (949) 646-7181
- Help girls develop the values and skills they need to become confident, productive, and responsible adults. Girls Incorporated is looking for volunteers in a variety of programs.
- O.C. Probation Department
- Santa Ana (714) 569-2000
- Department fights crime in Orange County by supervising adult and juvenile criminal offenders on probation, volunteers are needed to mentor juvenile probationers, tutor, and get involved with youth in a correctional institute.
- YMCA of Orange County
- Tustin (714) 549-9622
- Provides services for children placed in Orange County Licensed foster homes with tutoring and mentoring programs.
- Anaheim YMCA Achieves
- Anaheim (714) 635-9622
- Anaheim Achieves is an-after-school educational and enrichment program targeting 2,000 elementary students.
