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Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 |
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Working for good
CAITLIN MACDONALD
CONTRIBUTOR
You're pretty sure that you can't swim there, and you've heard that all of the major events are planned there, but many of you have probably wondered what exactly lies beyond the doors of that mysterious little brick building known as Curtis Pool. Although the water was drained from the pool long ago, there is as much activity as ever in this new home of the Community Service Resource Center.
But what exactly does the Community Service Resource Center do? Most students associate the CSRC with Bowdoin's annual Common Good Day, which was a successful event last month involving 250 volunteers serving in 49 different projects, even during torrential rain.
Volunteering, however, is just one part of what the CSRC does.
For the third year straight, the CSRC is sponsoring Alternative Spring Break, a unique opportunity to visit a new place, meet new people, and learn about a different culture while doing something meaningful and educational during vacation.
Each trip focuses on a specific social issue and allows students to identify the underlying problems and ways to alleviate them. This March, three groups of ten students and one staff member will serve throughout the U.S. and abroad to address social injustice.
Students will travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala, to work with Safe Passage, an organization founded by Bowdoin alum Hanley Denning '92 that seeks to educate some of the nation's poorest children who live at the Guatemala City Dump.
In Washington, D.C., a group of students will engage in direct service and meet with non-profit organizations, activist groups, and politicians. A third group will work to help future homeowners build affordable houses in Virginia.
A group of 12 students has also begun work on the Common Good Grant, a program that allows Bowdoin students to learn about philanthropy first-hand. Under the leadership of Kate Leach '04 and Ben Needham '05, students will award $10,000 in the form of grants to local non-profit organizations, thanks to the generous contribution of an anonymous donor. The Common Good Grant program aims to educate Bowdoin students about grants and philanthropy while building stronger relationships between Bowdoin and Brunswick.
Several Bowdoin students have been accepted into the selective Maine Civic Fellows program, which is part of the national Raise Your Voice/Student Action for Change initiative. The program seeks to promote civic engagement on campuses. Civic Fellows receive important training, a substantial budget, and a stipend to implement programs that address issues of concern on campus and in the community.
Civic Fellow Bree Dallinga '06 will lead a discussion group centered around the topic of women's sexuality. "By creating a space for women to talk about their experiences and ask questions, we are breaking the silence and extending what's considered appropriate conversation," she said.
Joel Cartwright '04, Elliott Wright '04, Lauren Withey '04, and Gillian Stevens '04 are using their budget to develop an organic farm and greenhouse for Bowdoin that could be used to provide food to the dining halls, sell produce in local farmers' markets, and provide fresh produce to the local homeless shelter. The primary purpose of the farm would be educational, and may be incorporated into the environmental studies program and biology classes.
So, we won't offer you any goggles, but stop by the Community Service Resource Center in Curtis Pool and we can provide you with many opportunities for jumping into service.
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