iLead through the Students

    “Civic Engagement” is a term that has become commonplace thriving in higher education institutions across the country. A huge focus of administrators is to create an environment that fosters said civic engagement in all of the students institutions send out into the world. This is a fantastic goal to have, but what exactly is civic engagement and how can it be measured and promoted to students?

In a model researched and produced by the ASUN Center for Student Engagement at the University of Nevada, Reno, civic engagement consists of six areas: community service, self-governance, philanthropy, activism, engaged scholarship, and volunteerism. A question behind every aspect of the model is how to get students excited about these areas and become active citizens. While there may be many solutions to this question, ours has been to gain momentum in students through students. We provide opportunities for students to take the lead in a number of ways so they may cultivate a civically engaged attitude on our campus and in the community.

Our biggest component of putting the understanding and responsibility into the hands of the students has been our iLeadNevada initiative. It began as a social media campaign to challenge students to reframe their own views of leadership and has continued as a symbol of our civic engagement work. Our goal is to foster dialogue that redefines leadership to include student’s civic responsibility, responsible citizenship, personal growth, and academic success.

Building on the iLeadNevada initiative, we set up volunteering options on our website, with provided transportation, for which students can sign up. With this service available to students, they can find their own niche of service to which to dedicate more time. These opportunities allow for students to take the lead.  They are able to start off their engagement in this type of volunteer service with ease, experience the impact they can have and then continue in their pursuit of active citizenship.

Additionally, the iLeadNevada volunteer opportunities offer leadership experience. At the service events where students volunteer, we have students who are trained to facilitate the activity. They guide the group towards achieving certain tasks, engaging the group in dialogue about their experience of the day and how to be further civically engaged. Any student can train to become a service facilitator. We have found that students who engage in the leading of the activities continue to volunteer for the roles again in the future, as well as simply volunteer at other events.

Another focus of the iLeadNevada initiative this past year was our end of the year recognition banquet, where we recognized 1326 hours volunteered, 528 volunteers, and 20 non-profit community partners. This truly showed, to all parties involved, the impact our initiative is having on our students and in the community in our first year.

By simplifying the process for students to start becoming civically engaged, then motivate their peers to as well, we have seen promising results. Our iLeadNevada initiative has illustrated the level of impact students can foster when they have the resources, become inspired, and take the lead. Volunteerism is only one piece of the puzzle; the products of our initiative have reinforced that all six parts of being a civically engaged student are intersectional and will unfold over our career at Nevada.

 #SAVolunteer