Four Ways to Make Your Year Stellar with the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement

A Message from a CLCE Student Staff Member

by Annette Dipert

Four Ways to Make Your Year Stellar with the Center for Leadership and Community Engagement

 So your school year is starting, and you may be wondering, “How can I start my year right?”, “How can I really get involved and engaged on campus and make my mark on the world?”,  “How can I have a really awesome time while helping my community?” Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Here at the Center of Leadership and Community Engagement, we have lots of ways for everyone to get involved, whether you are just starting your Mason career or bringing it to a close.

1. Join the Mason team for AIDS Walk DC

On Saturday, October 27, Mason students will come together to support individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. AIDS Walk DC has become a Mason tradition, with students participating for over twenty years!  This is a great opportunity to meet new people, or just walk with old friends, while helping a great cause. Just register at www.aidswalkwashington.org and be sure to search for the Mason team on the registration site and join us. If you are more of a runner than a walker, you can register for the 5K timed run. Transportation is easy, as Parking and Transportation Services is sponsoring Mason to Metro shuttles running every half hour from 6-8 AM on the morning of the walk/run. Be sure to come out and support individuals affected by HIV/AIDS!

2. Volunteer!

The best way to get involved in the community at and around Mason is to volunteer! There are lots of ways you can go about this. First, you can look at our Community Partner List for some partners that Mason has worked with in the past and connect with them to see what opportunities they have available. You can also check out Volunteer Fairfax’s College Link to search for volunteer opportunities in our area! Finally, be sure to join our Facebook Group and follow our Twitter, where we often post volunteer and internship opportunities.

3. Think about pursuing a minor in Leadership or Nonprofit studies

Take your passion for service and leadership into the classroom with our minors in Leadership or Nonprofit Studies! These minors have focuses in both theory and experiential learning and work well with any major. Nonprofits are one of the largest growing job sectors in America today, and you will need leadership in basically any career. Get a step ahead of the game with these awesome minors!

4. Take an Alternative Break

So you’ve already found out what you can do during the school year to help out, but what about during breaks? We’ve got you covered! During your spring, winter, or even summer break, you can use your time and energy towards social justice causes around the world, while also having the option to gain class credit! While most of our opportunities focus on the campus or the surrounding community, Alternative Breaks take you and a group of your peers to an outside community to learn and serve. Whether you want to aid teachers in educating children in Jamaica or build oyster beds in Florida, there is an AB trip for everyone. To check on upcoming trips and to learn more, check out our Alternative Break page.

The trips are primarily student organized and run by an Alternative Break Executive Board. If you want to get involved in the executive board, you can contact Sarina Stephenson at sstephea@gmu.edu for more information.

So there you have it; four awesome ways that you can get involved with CLCE, and your community, here at Mason. Be sure to take advantage of these and other opportunities to make your first (and all) years at Mason awesome!