Our capstone local community service learning program, Beyond U pairs responsible and passionate students with a local organization to engage in a multi-component service-learning experience, exposing them to non-profit work and local social justice issues.

Designed for upper-year participants, Beyond U gives students the opportunity to engage with a local not-for-profit through an immersive 12-14 week internship. The program provides students with experience working directly with organizations and community members to address key issues in our community, such as homelessness, poverty, health and wellness, gender equality, and more. Through this volunteer work, Beyond U participants gain a thoughrough understanding of how the community-based organization functions, the populations they serve, and the values they set as their foundation.

At the same time, students are equipped with reflection tools and coached to seek a deeper understanding of themselves and their community through the experience of service. Through workshops, dialouge, and a culminating project, students will articulate not only key social justice issues they encountered, but also who experiences these issues, what work is being done to meet these issues, and what work still needs to be done. They will develop a critical framework for articulating the connections and complexities of justice issues that they witnessed and the strengths and growth areas of the initiatives and systems that are built to meet them.