On Friday, Oct. 13, the Morgridge Center for Public Service will host its annual Walk the Walk event in partnership with Community Shares of Wisconsin and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Walk the Walk is an annual tour of social, health and environmental justice organizations in the UW-Madison neighborhood. This year, students can participate in one of four themed walking tours to learn from nonprofits near campus that are advancing progressive and equitable change.
“The goal of Walk the Walk is to bring UW students into better communication and contact with local nonprofits that are around the campus area,” Samuel Park, a Special Events Intern at the Morgridge Center for Public Service said. “It’s to raise awareness of what different organizations do and to help connect these students and the university with community organizations.”
What makes this event so unique is how close all of the organizations are. All that participate are located within a few blocks of the UW campus, making them easily accessible for students.
“These groups are literally just blocks away from us,” Park said. “It is a great opportunity to learn more about what’s going on in the community beyond the campus because our UW community does extend beyond the campus boundaries, whether students fully realize that or not.”
Themes for the 2017 tour include Empowering all Women, Creating Equitable Communities, Advocating a Healthy Future and Advancing Sustainable Ideas. With each tour, students will get the opportunity to learn about 2-3 different organizations and their work to create change in the community.
“I think it’s a really great learning experience for people that want to enter the public or nonprofit sphere and learn about what these careers kind of look like and how we might fit into those spaces,” Park said. “Overall, it’s a really great career development opportunity as well as a networking chance to meet personally with people involved in these organizations.”
Walk the Walk will take place on Friday, Oct. 13 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Participants should meet in the basement of Ogg Residence Hall. Students are encouraged to register for the event ahead of time and select the tour they would like to go on.