25th Anniversary Celebration

Transcript 00:10 (gentle music)
00:12 <v Narrator 1>Community.</v <v Narrator 2>Joy.</v
00:14 <v Narrator 3>Empowerment.</v
00:15 <v Narrator 4>Transformational.</v
00:16 <v Narrator 5>Enrichment.</v <v Narrator 6>Connections.</v
00:18 <v [Narrator 7>And Journey.</v <v Narrator 8>Perspective.</v
00:19 <v Narrator 9>Empathy.</v
00:20 <v Narrator 10>Overwhelmingly meaningful.</v
00:22 <v Narrator 11>Thoughtful.</v <v Narrator 12>Love.</v
00:24 <v Narrator 13>Belonging.</v <v Narrator 14>Life changing.</v
00:29 <v Amy>Why is community engagement important?</v
00:31 The ability to see beyond yourself,
00:33 to understand yourself and see how you engage with others
00:37 and the impact you can have on your community
00:40 is one of the biggest things
00:41 you can leave higher education with.
00:43 <v Tom>Suffolk was definitely one of the first</v
00:45 to create this college based service program
00:49 with alternative breaks and placement sites in the city
00:52 and a day of service.
00:53 We were really ahead of our time.
00:55 <v ->Center for Community Engagement</v
00:57 reflects a deep commitment over time
01:00 and represents an evolution of the work
01:02 that started back in the 80s and 90s
01:05 as a student volunteerism movement,
01:06 and then moved into service learning
01:09 and the broader frame to look at community
01:12 and civic engagement in a really holistic way.
01:15 <v Sherry>Prior to SOULS starting,</v
01:17 students were expressing interest
01:18 in more organized opportunities
01:21 to be involved in the greater community.
01:23 We had a steering committee of students
01:25 to direct the growth of the organization
01:27 and to express their interests.
01:29 <v ->We knew that we needed to provide</v
01:32 that place for students, you know, to grow,
01:34 to connect to the community and in whatever small way
01:38 to help shape who they are
01:40 as active members of the community.
01:44 <v ->We were here with the hopes of planting seeds</v
01:48 in students that, you know, would grow,
01:51 you know, far beyond the time that they spent with us.
01:53 <v ->What the CCE did so well,</v
01:56 what kept me there for so long was putting relationships,
01:59 relationship building above everything else.
02:02 We did a ton of social justice learning
02:05 to make sure that we are approaching spaces
02:08 in a way that is respectful
02:09 and puts the community and community members first.
02:12 <v ->Suffolk is a community member,</v
02:15 like we are truly embedded and able through this office,
02:19 and you know, throughout the years to really honor
02:23 and be consistent with the way that we show up
02:25 in those partnerships so that our partners feel like
02:27 they're part of our community as well.
02:29 <v ->Being a Suffolk student, you're downtown,</v
02:31 you're confronted with people who are unhoused.
02:34 And the Wednesday Night Supper Club
02:36 is an opportunity to get a sense
02:38 of the humanity of these people
02:40 and that we should be treating them with respect,
02:42 recognizing that they're out there
02:44 and that they're facing challenges.
02:45 <v ->Service learning is important</v
02:47 because students get to have hands-on
02:50 experiencing a solution, interfacing with the client
02:54 and the population that they serve.
02:56 And so that's a unique experience, right?
02:59 And so they can read about an issue,
03:02 but actually being part of the solution is very important.
03:06 <v Erin>I will always remember Carolina and Tim</v
03:09 telling us that you must really be educated
03:12 on the issues at hand that are compacting and compounding
03:16 and systemically perpetuating these challenges in society,
03:20 and really deeply reflect afterwards on yourself.
03:23 <v ->Becoming that reflective person is a critical part</v
03:28 of service learning and community engagement
03:30 because it's not about saving.
03:32 It's not about fixing.
03:34 It's not about having the expertise.
03:36 It's about being with.
03:38 Having the opportunity to help others develop that awareness
03:42 is really, really powerful and such a testament to Suffolk.
03:46 <v ->The CCE taught me literally everything I know today,</v
03:52 compassion, active listening,
03:55 turning a bad day into a good day
03:56 just by doing like one small thing for one person.
03:59 <v Lindsay>I definitely learned how to be a leader,</v
04:02 how to be empathetic towards others
04:03 who may not be in the same place that you are.
04:08 <v ->The Center for Community Engagement</v
04:10 gives you the opportunity to learn
04:12 about yourself as a leader, find your own voice.
04:15 <v Tim>Seeing students after coming back from, you know,</v
04:18 something like an ASB trip and exploring like, you know,
04:22 hey, how do I keep this going in my own life
04:25 or in my own community here in Boston?
04:27 That was always rewarding, watching students use that
04:30 as a launching pad for growth and curiosity,
04:34 wanting to learn more and be involved and make a difference.
04:38 <v ->What I'm most proud of was going to Cambodia</v
04:41 and working with Habitat with Humanity.
04:43 That was such a life-changing experience for me.
04:47 It just really pushed me to wanna do what I do today,
04:51 working in community engagement and giving back.
04:55 <v ->The center really changed me 'cause I went to to Myanmar</v
04:57 on the alternative winter break,
04:59 and my whole perspective on the world changed.
05:02 After that trip, I just wanted to make a difference.
05:05 <v ->Through the service after hours,</v
05:06 I got to work with students
05:07 before they even came to Suffolk,
05:09 giving them an opportunity for them
05:11 to connect with the community,
05:13 a pathway to get into a leadership position.
05:15 That was inspiring to me.
05:17 <v ->One thing that the CCE really helped me just realize</v
05:22 was I didn't have to have a career
05:25 directly at a nonprofit in order to still make a difference.
05:30 I find ways within my company to make impact.
05:33 I'm able in my free time to still volunteer,
05:37 still get back to causes that mean a lot to me.
05:39 <v ->I have no idea what I'd be doing if SOULS hadn't existed</v
05:42 because they literally created the roadmap for me
05:45 of like what I could do.
05:47 Somebody who goes to the Sawyer Business School,
05:49 somebody who's from CAS,
05:50 we're gonna have very totally different careers,
05:53 but we understand what it means to be a community member.
05:57 <v ->This is part of our story as an institution, right?</v
06:01 How was Suffolk founded?
06:04 And this idea of of paying it forward.
06:07 That's the work that CCE is doing and will continue to do.
06:12 It's part of who we are and it's a real important piece
06:16 of our history and our future.
06:20 <v Carolina>My hope is that the Center</v
06:22 for Community Engagement
06:23 continues to provide a home for students
06:26 that are passionate about community,
06:28 adapts and provides an opportunity for the community
06:30 to get to know our students and how wonderful they are.
06:34 <v Lina>Like I continue to find ripples of impact</v
06:37 that have driven the work I'm doing
06:39 in our ripples of impact that I'm creating, right,
06:42 as an individual or through the entities that I work with.
06:44 And so that means that little SOUL seed
06:47 that was planted in 2009 when I came in is still going.
06:50 And not only does it keep going, it keeps coming back.
06:53 It is a never ending impact.
06:55 (upbeat music)