As a college student, it is easy to be whisked away by the hustle of classes, extracurriculars, and work. It is also easy to forget about the communities that exist right outside of the Northeastern bubble. Northeastern has a unique campus that resides in four different Boston neighborhoods. It is important to acknowledge that Northeastern has had a direct, and often negative, impact on the surrounding communities.
This presents a difficult question: what does it mean to be part of the Boston community?
One valuable way to get more involved in the Boston community is through service. This presents a way to become more engaged, learn, and provide assistance to our neighbors. While this may seem difficult with a busy college schedule, there are a multitude of accessible service opportunities in Boston.
The Center of Community Service is always a resource for opportunities and does a great job of making service accessible to students. They provide a weekly email newsletter with upcoming opportunities and events. The Center of Community Service has also compiled a list of all of the service groups on campus, all of which make getting involved easy and fun.
If you are worried about volunteering alone and want a semester-long opportunity, you can sign up for a Husky Volunteer Team. These teams bring together groups of students for a weekly commitment at a local organization, such as Hyde Square Task Force, American Red Cross, and Cradles 2 Crayons. There are a variety of organizations and time frames for volunteering, and they are a great way to meet other students interested in service.
If you are looking for a more flexible way to volunteer, there are a variety of shift-based volunteering programs. Organizations like Community Servings, St. Francis House, and Rosie’s Place all have online portals for sign-ups, which makes volunteering easy and adjustable to any schedule. Another factor is that these are all very accessible by walking or public transport. Similarly, for a variety of volunteer opportunities all over Boston, you can sign up for Volunteermatch and include your interests and skills, and the organization will send you emails as opportunities arise.
When looking for service opportunities in Boston, there are several important things to remember. When trying to identify service opportunities, there is significant value in continuous and regular involvement. Dependable service allows these organizations to invest in training, and this means that they can assign you more significant tasks, and you can provide more value. Consistent volunteering also gives you the opportunity to make meaningful connections and better understand the people and causes that these organizations impact.