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Are you looking for new opportunities to volunteer and be more involved in the community? Interested in gaining real life experience that will help you later on in your professional and social lives? Well, look no further than the Center for Community Action and Research! Rather than a standard student club, this organization is different as it is under a department within the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, specifically under the “Academic Centers and Institutes”.
Ashley Kuenneke, who is the Program Coordinator in our Pace New York City office for CCAR, discussed some pivotal themes such as the committee’s mission, which is to “enrich the educational experiences of students, faculty, and staff in a manner that is consistent with Pace’s mission to cultivate tomorrow’s leaders and citizens for active participation in the larger life of their communities, the nation, and the world.” In order to get a better sense of the type of possibilities affiliated with CCAR, members are able to gain experience in “service and civic engagement, from community service to voter registration to discussions on important social, economic, and environmental justice issues.”
As the organization does not hold formal meeting, CCAR conducts weekly events all year-round! With each semester, Ashley states, CCAR holds gatherings that include  “group service trips each month, a weekly political discussion series, hosting at least two larger discussions each semester, Common Hour Conversations and panels on the important issues of today, workshops on developing skills in everyday activism.” In addition to these amazing resources, CCAR’s holds a beneficial service event titled “Alternative Spring Break” where instead of students going to a luxury resort for five days, they “participate and spend a week directly assisting a community with an identified community need.”
CCARNY’s next held “Common Hour Conversation” titled “(Nuclear) War and Peace” will be on Wednesday, November 18th in room E300 from 12:10-1:10 p.m. On that same Wednesday from 1:20-4:20 p.m in room E304, you can attend a free screening of Chasing Ice, which is“the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet.”
Even though the fall semester is coming to a close, CCARNY has started planning events for Spring 2016 that are available to view on their Google Calendar! Some functions that CCARNY is hoping to enact in the Spring 2016 semester is “a semester-long Take Action, an everyday activism series,” and annual participation of Hands on New York Day. (Fun Fact: I assisted with this in Spring of 2015 with other Pace scholars and was truly blown away by the positive results in contributing to something much bigger than myself.)
If you are interested in getting involved with CCARNY, it is highly encouraged to sign up for the weekly newsletter! With this subscription, students and faculty are notified of upcoming events such as volunteer and civic engagement opportunities that are held on- and off-campus. See an event that interests you? How about inviting your friends to join in the process! Find a gathering that CCAR is holding that best fits your schedule.
In addition to the newsletter, follow CCAR’s social media sites right now to see photos, news updates, and chances to first discover volunteer programs when they break!
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If you have any questions or want to speak to Ashley or the other members of CCARNY privately, students are always welcome to stop by their office in One Pace Plaza in room Y31, send an email to ccarny@pace.edu, or give them a call at 212-346-1807.
I would like to say a huge thank you to Ashley Kuenneke for relaying important information about CCAR!