Volume XXI | February 2023 | |
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?" - Martin Luther King Jr. | |
A Message from Our Director | |
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Welcome back! Community Outreach started the Spring Semester with two impactful programs: 13 students and a staff member participating in the Community Development Alternative Break Trip to Costa Rica (Jan. 2-14), and the MLK Jr. Day of Service (Jan. 16) where about 115 people participated in service and educational activities. That was just the beginning. The Spring Semester will be a busy one in all the programming areas in Community Outreach. Thanks in advance to the Staff, Graduate Students, and of course the Student Leaders.
Miguel Colon, Director of Community Outreach
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Mansfield Youth Services
Mansfield Youth Services is a program that provides mentorship to youth. UConn students have the chance to participate by supporting elementary or middle school aged children through social emotional learning activities.
Participants must commit to one day per week, and activities will start the week of February 13th. Options include Mondays at Goodwin Elementary from 12:30-2:30pm, Tuesdays at Goodwin Elementary from 12:00-2:00pm, or Tuesdays at Mansfield Middle School from 2:15-4:45pm.
Please contact uconn.co.copevinton@gmail.com if interested!
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Natchaug After School Tutoring
Are you interested in tutoring elementary school students near UConn? Are you looking to work with a diverse population of students? Then this is the program for you!
Natchaug After School Tutoring offers mentoring, tutoring and physical activities in 1-on-1 or small group environments for the K-5 students of Natchaug Elementary School. Located in Willimantic, the Natchaug After School Tutoring Program is housed in Natchaug Elementary School and serves students from the Windham/Willimantic area. Tutoring takes place 3:15-5:30 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays at the school. You pick one day that works for you! Transportation is provided!!
Volunteers will have the opportunity to tutor students in any/all subjects, help with homework, encourage the importance of physical activity (both inside and outside) as well as aid staff members in supervising snack time. Above all, volunteers will be able to develop and nurture mentoring relationships with the Natchaug students. Natchaug is a more informal tutoring program with emphasis on developing relationships with the kids there!
If you have any questions or are looking to get involved with the Natchaug After School Tutoring Program please email uconn.co.natchaugtutor@gmail.com!
Aarthi Tippireddy, Natchaug Student Coordinator
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Mansfield Senior Center
We have a few returning volunteers who are already coming back to the senior center as receptionists, BINGO callers, trivia hosts, game-day hosts, food service helpers, and we just hosted a piano recital with the UConn Piano Club with an audience of over 30 people at the Senior Center! We are accepting new participants, mostly for receptionist from 12:00pm-2:00pm on Tuesdays, but we're also open to having another volunteer to help with BINGO on Tuesdays from 12:40pm-3:00pm, Game Day 12:45pm-3:00pm, or Craft Workshops from 3:00pm-5:00pm. If people are interested in developing and hosting their own workshop, we welcome that too, and the timing is flexible.
If you have any questions, please reach out to uconn.co.seniorcenter@gmail.com
Grace Xiong, Mansfield Senior Center Student Coordinator
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Jordan Klein
Jumpstart Team Leader
Meet Jordan! Jordan is a Jumpstart Team Leader and has held this role since last semester. Jordan has been a part of Jumpstart since Spring 2022. She is majoring in Human Development and Family Sciences. In her free time, she works in the child labs on campus and enjoys going to the Rec Center to work out. Over winter break she took a trip to New York City and this semester she is really excited to get back into the classroom to teach children!
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Taylor Coonan
Civic Engagement Student Leader
Meet Taylor! Taylor is a graduate student completing a 4+1 master's degree in Human Rights. In Community Outreach, she serves as a Civic Engagement Student Leader.
Taylor is incredibly involved outside of her participation in Community Outreach. This year, she has taken on the role of Innovation Zone Makerspace Fellow and serves in the Graduate Student Senate. She is also a UConn Athletics Compliance Intern, Human Rights Institute Research Assistant and FYE Instructor. She also participates in various organizations such as Alpha Phi Omega, Alpha Omicron Pi, Phi Sigma Pi, Club Swift and HuskyTHON. In her free time, she enjoys writing articles for HerCampus and serving as a handler for Jonathan the Husky.
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MLK Day of Service
On January 16th, UConn students were able to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event was hosted by Community Outreach, but all UConn students were able to join us for an impactful day. Participants had the chance to make blankets for babies in the NICU at Yale New Haven Hospital and create literacy kits for Jumpstart to bring to schools. Off-campus events included attendance at Windham Area Interfaith Ministry to sort clothing donations, volunteering at the Covenant Soup Kitchen, and going to Windham Heights after-school program.
Participants were also able to listen to various speakers, including Dr. Dexter Gabriel, Dr. David Embrick, Dr. Nicole K. Madu, Dr. Jeffrey Ogbar, Dr. Saran Stewart, and Dr. Candace Wallace. These speakers participated in a panel discussion on racial justice and the Civil Rights Movement, and students were able to ask questions after the discussion.
Rylee Thomas, Public Relations Student Coordinator
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Chinese Lantern Festival
On February 6th, Cross Cultural Connections (CCC), the Center for International Students and Scholars (CISS), and the Asian American Cultural Center (AsACC) held a lantern making event to celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival. CCC is a program that pairs fluent English-speaking students with international students as conversation partners. If you are interested in learning more about Cross Cultural Connections, please contact uconn.co.ccconnections@gmail.com.
“This is the first time I have tried to make a lantern. I followed the instructions to complete the lantern from scratch, and it turned out to be surprisingly good. Making lanterns is not very difficult, but it takes patience to do every step nicely. I met some classmates and made several new friends at this event, and I gave the lantern to one of my friends in the end. Finally, the activity brought me a lot of joy, thanks to the staff at CCC, CISS, and AsACC.”
Cross Cultural Connections, International Student
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Community Development in Costa Rica
Over winter break, students were able to attend a two week trip to Costa Rica to volunteer. From January 2nd through January 15th, students participated in community development projects and became educated on topics such as sustainability, community policy, and social mobility.
"One of the most important things I feel I have done recently at UConn was the Winter Alternative Break Trip to Upala, Costa Rica with Community Outreach. For two weeks we spent our time laying the foundation of a house, hand-mixing cement, painting murals, gardening, and playing endless games of soccer with the local children. Being able to bond with those in the community over the two weeks and hear their experiences was educational and rewarding. Putting into words the impact the trip had on me is incredibly hard, but I am grateful to have shared the experience with other UConn students. My only regret is not going on a trip like this sooner!"
Isabella Helgson, Alternative Break Trip Participant
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