Service-Learning

WHAT IS A CES?!

CES stands for Civic Engagement Scholar. Simply put, CESs are paid student leaders for the Institute for Service-Learning. They assume many responsibilities and roles – project coordinator, meeting convener, reflection facilitator, attendance taker, event planner, site supervisor, social entrepreneur, communicator, connector, social justice leader, advocate for the community members with whom they work, and representative of the Institute for Service-Learning.  They recruit, train, orient, supervise, and evaluate their peers, coordinating complex service-learning programming with local agencies, public schools, health clinics and initiatives.  To ensure learning, they facilitate structured reflection with their peers. Together, they design campus-wide programs to share knowledge about and inspire action on compelling public problems.  These programs allow students to link course-based work with personal experiences in the community that illuminate issues and inspire advocacy on issues like health disparities, arts, immigration, sustainable development, educational inequality, adult literacy, diversity, urban sprawl, juvenile justice, and peacemaking.

This year, the Institute for Service-Learning works with a cadre of 29 CESs who coordinate about 19 different service-learning projects that have a social justice orientation --  endeavors that engage over 300 “K” students for at least three hours each every week throughout the year.   To successfully lead high-quality service-learning programs that meet the goals of all constituencies, these CESs shoulder considerable responsibilities that require complex skills and maturity.  Much of this work asks students to cross borders, confront and challenge inequities that characterize our communities, and develop humility, consciousness and skills for community change.

Qualifications/Expectations: CESs are required to attend a three-day retreat in the fall before classes begin; expect to complete about 5-15 hours per week for their CES role, depending on program and time of year; attend bi-weekly reflection sessions with their CES peers and Institute staff; complete paperwork; organize and facilitate orientation/training sessions; plan and attend events; communicate regularly with community partners, students, and Institute staff; design meeting agendas; turn in student hours; etc.

Through a competitive application process each spring, the Institute for Service-Learning chooses these CESs from among the many students who have distinguished themselves in one or more of our partnership programs and/or in service-learning courses, demonstrating the passion and potential to lead and manage complex projects that promote social change.