Service Opportunities & Volunteerism
A great space to enhance NACE competencies is through participating in UConn’s Community Outreach programs, volunteering through another organization or independently.
Examples of how students developed or enhanced their competencies through community outreach & volunteering:
- Daniella enhanced her teamwork competency while participating in a Community Service Day where she worked on a team to prepare a site for a community garden.
- Raphael further developed his technology competency by volunteering to manage the social media presence of his local library.
If you are interested in sharing your own experience with us please email theodore.menounos@uconn.edu. Sharing your competency development inspires other students to think about where and how they can gain competencies within and beyond UConn.
Here you can find resources to see how you can impact your local and non-local Connecticut community.
UConn Community Outreach
This office prepares students to be active and engaging members of society in and out Connecticut. Both long-term and short-term service projects are offered through this office to accommodate the needs of participating students.
Alternative Breaks
This is an opportunity to spend your fall, winter, spring, and even summer breaks with short service projects to get you engaged with communities both near and far.
Service Learning
Service-learning projects are a collaboration between the UConn community and the Connecticut community in need to create a mutually beneficial experience. Direct, Indirect, and Civil Action/ Advocacy service learning are offered through this office as well as courses for service learning.
Volunteer Match
Search for volunteer opportunities around the world by location (including virtual opportunities), cause, or skillset.
Idealist
Search for jobs, internships, volunteer opportunities, organizations, mutual aid groups, and graduate programs all around the world.
Volunteer Connecticut
See a list of agencies throughout the state seeking volunteers for both medical and non-medical volunteer opportunities.
Catchafire
Find virtual project-based volunteer opportunities with nonprofit organizations that need your skills.
UConn Education Abroad
The Education Abroad office at UConn offers service-based experiences abroad during breaks, semesters, and full school years.
International Volunteer Experiences
IFRE
Help those most in need and see the world at the same time.
Plan My Gap Year
Plan My Gap Year is an award-winning volunteer abroad organization, offering high impact volunteer projects in Africa, Asia, Europe & South America. PMGY provide a safe, structured and social platform with volunteer travel opportunities available from 1-40 weeks. With over 10 years of experience and expertise, PMGY is widely regarded as the global leader in affordable and trustworthy international volunteering experiences.
Private Agencies
Experiences can be found through private companies too. Read through the tip sheet on finding a legitimate agency that meets your professional needs. Questions about working with a private agency can be directed either to the internship staff at Career Center or the team at the UConn Experiential Global Learning.
Feel free to schedule a meeting with a Career Coach in the Center for Career Development or talk to another trusted faculty or staff member on campus; maybe someone you’ve already connected with around career. The entire campus community is committed to your success-all you need to do is ask!
