SERVICE LEARNING AT WRIGHT CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE!
- Learn valuable skills for your résumé
- Meet helpful contacts in organizations around Chicago and even around the world
- Help make the world a better place
Partners that Wright College students work with include:
- The U.S. Department of State: As part of Diplomacy Lab, students collaborate with Embassy and Consulate officials around the world to provide foreign policy. See past Diplomacy lab projects under Diplomacy Lab tab.
- Urban Rivers: This Chicago-based group’s mission is to transform “urban waterways into wildlife sanctuaries, creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to connect with nature in new and meaningful ways.” According to Wright Biology Professor Katarina Topalov, “They’re a terrific group of fierce young people that do so many good things!”
- Illinois Legal Aid Online: Students enrolled in Wright College Paralegal courses contribute to the Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) repository of free legal articles through a collaborative effort with ILAO. According to Wright Prof. Christian Blume, “Generally, the people using ILAO cannot find or afford an attorney and rely on the self-help resources as they navigate legal issues on their own.
- North Korean Freedom Coalition: This Virginia-based group’s mission includes making human rights the key policy of all governments in dealing with North Korea and saving lives by helping rescue refugees and pressuring China to to end its brutal repatriation policy.
- Dunning Read Natural Area: Right around the corner from Wright College, this local group is working to restore a 21-acre park in the Dunning neighborhood and provide a quality habitat for diverse native plants and wildlife.
- Wonder Works Museum in Oak Park: Students work with children and museum officials, allowing students to put into immediate use what they are learning about children’s cognitive development.
- And there are many other possibilities!
Service learning courses (those designated with a “6”):
- Will engage students with real world problems;
- Allow students to learn more about their community;
- Enable students to learn actively, not just through lecture or in class;
- Foster relationships with fellow students, faculty and outside professionals; and
- Help develop career-related skills, such as working as a member of a team, communicating effectively and solving problems.
Here is what students have said about their service learning experiences:
“I was very excited to learn that everything that I was being taught and learned in theory could be implemented in the real world.”
“I appreciate the opportunity that was presented by the service learning project. Classrooms teach a lot but hands on experiences are the best teachers and I wouldn’t trade my experience because of the many wonderful people I met.”
“The service helped me to understand better what I want to study. Service learning hours also help you to see if that is what you want to study.”
Wright College offers numerous service learning classes in a variety of disciplines.
For more information regarding service learning, contact:
Merry Mayer
Service Learning Coordinator
L-246
mmayer2@ccc.