On Wednesday, April 26, students won’t be able to walk around campus without being surrounded by service.
The second-annual All-Campus Day of Service will take place this year on Wednesday, April 26. As a partnership between the Morgridge Center for Public Service and the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB), students will be encouraged to learn about, reflect on and engage with issues facing their community.
UW-Madison students and faculty will be able to engage with different forms of service simply by walking around campus throughout the day of April 26, but students can also be part of the day by signing up for a volunteer opportunity in advance.
“Day of Service provides a springboard for students to think about what kind of community they want to live in,” says Megan Miller, Assistant Director of Civic Engagement at the Morgridge Center for Public Service.
The day includes a variety of activities that incorporate various forms of service. Students can give blood at a bi-partisan blood drive hosted by College Democrats and College Republicans of UW-Madison, participate in creating sustainable art with Wheelhouse Studios or learn how to live sustainably as a college student through games of “trashketball” with the Office of Sustainability.
The Day of Service also showcases a “give a little, get a little” attitude as students will be able to receive a free plant from F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture by donating a food or personal hygiene product to The Open Seat, UW-Madison’s food pantry.
“Part of the Wisconsin Idea is to create passionate individuals that care enough about their own community to spark change,” says Carol Silva, UW-Madison student and member of the All-Campus Day of Service planning committee.
This is why community organizations like the Domestic Abuse Intervention Services (DAIS) and the Lakeshore Nature Preserve are an important part of the day, which will showcase the vibrant service activity that also happens off-campus in Madison.
“It’s so easy to just picture yourself at UW-Madison in this bubble. We want to help students break out of their campus bubble and understand their place in the Madison community,” says Silva.
The All-Campus Day of Service will also incorporate the #OurTomorrow campaign, a national project that encourages students to share on social media how they are making a difference for the future through service today.
Additionally, the event is partnering with the Campus Conversation Challenge of Ask Big Questions, a project that aims to inspire more intentional reflection and stronger conversations about contentious topics. Tables will be located around campus to engage students in these discussions.
“This tool gets people who might see the world in different ways to talk with each other in more productive ways when having difficult conversations,” says Miller.
Although the event is titled as a “Day of Service,” it hopes to inspire action beyond just one day and leave students thinking about how they can incorporate various forms of service into their day-to-day activities.
“We want people to think of service as a lifestyle rather just something you only do only once and a while. It’s something that you can intentionally do throughout your day-to-day activities,” says Silva.
All-Campus Day of Service hopes to bring visibility to the idea that even UW-Madison students are community members. What kind of community do you want to live in?