Students interested in service-learning and community engagement have a number of options available at UGA, including applying for special programs geared toward students interested in community engagement and public service. Through these programs, students gain valuable career skills and experiential learning experience as they step out of the classroom and make an impact in our community. We encourage all UGA students to learn how they can become involved in these programs.
Experience UGA
Experience UGA is a partnership between the Clarke County School District and the University of Georgia, which aims to bring every Clarke County student (PreK – 12) to UGA’s campus every year. The Office of Service-Learning is expecting nearly 7,300 students to visit in 2023, many of whom have never visited UGA’s campus despite living so close by.
You can become involved in Experience UGA through our Ambassador program. Every year, we form a cohort of UGA students to lead field trips across campus. If you enjoy working with kids or simply love showing off UGA’s campus, we hope you’ll apply. We also need volunteers to help out with every trip if you’d like to see what Experience UGA is all about first.
Read about some of last year’s Ambassadors to learn more about being part of the experience.
Campus Kitchen
The Campus Kitchen at UGA runs a food recovery and redistribution enterprise led by UGA students. This program transforms unused food into meals and groceries for delivery to seniors and agencies in Athens. Since 2010, Campus Kitchen has recovered more than 430,000 pounds of food, donated nearly 250,000 pounds of food to agencies, and cooked and delivered over 100,000 meals.
You can help us grow those numbers by volunteering with Campus Kitchen or become a shift leader. It’s all hands on deck, and we need help with every step of the process, from collecting food, to preparing and cooking meals, to delivering groceries and meals to clients.
Read how this experience was so impactful on this summer’s AmeriCorps Summer Associates.
PSO Student Scholars
The Public Service & Outreach Student Scholars program provides the opportunity for a select cohort of undergraduate students to explore and engage with the University of Georgia’s public service and outreach (PSO) mission. As a student scholar, undergraduate students will take part in hands-on service opportunities with the eight units under the Office of the Vice President of Public Service and Outreach.
We encourage students to apply to become a PSO Student Scholar to gain a deeper understanding of PSO’s purpose, link their public service experiences to their career and educational goals, and join a community of public service scholars in Georgia and beyond.
AmeriCorps
The Office of Service-Learning organizes and supports the University of Georgia AmeriCorps VISTA Network, which has a number of partnership organizations throughout the community. Year-long AmeriCorps VISTAs and shorter-term summer associates are placed at these organizations to serve and help them grow in their capacity to assist low-income communities.
A new program, the AmeriCorps Community Food Fellows program, will organize a cohort of 20 half-time fellows to serve with these organizations that reduce food waste and food insecurity in Athens-Clarke County. Learn more about this program here.
Engage GA
The best way to view all available volunteer opportunities is to use Engage Georgia, a site powered by GivePulse. This is a platform to connect with volunteer and service-learning opportunities, and students can log in with their MyID to sign up for opportunities. See the Engage Georgia website, or contact Josh Podvin in the Office of Service-Learning for more information.