WHAT IS CIVIC ENGAGEMENT?
Civic Engagement is about getting involved and making a difference. It is the sense of connectedness people feel with one another and the willingness to participate in community problem-solving. Community can be defined in a local, state, national or global context.
Civic engagement is more than just volunteer work, it also involves service learning. Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy that combines service work in the community with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience and teach good citizenship skills- all while strengthening communities. Higher education has an urgent and fundamental obligation to renew its role as an agent of democracy, creating a real need for civic engagement.
Our Misson
The mission of the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) is to strengthen democratic values and instill a sense of civic and social responsibility in UMA students. Our objective is to empower students to become informed citizens and lifelong activists. OCE emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community by providing opportunities for students to become agents of positive social change. UMA is dedicated to graduating students that are civically aware, knowledgeable, skilled and committed to the greater good within local, regional, national and global communities.
We encourage all faculty and students to define education as experiential and relevant to their civic lives and their communities through curricular and co-curricular activities.
What does the OCE have to offer you?
- Alternative Spring Breaks -New Orleans & Harrisburg
- Community Garden - grow food for the Augusta Food Bank
- A lengthy list of community partners that need help
- Technical assistance to faculty that facilitates the incorporation of service learning inside the classroom
- Opportunities to gain leadership skills
- Work study, Presidential Scholarships, cooperative education
- Internship credits awarded for working at OCE
- The opportunity to work on issues that matter to you
- Public forums and other events designed to invigorate our participatory democratic system of governance
Progam Information
- Find out more about College Access Initiative (CAVe)
- To participate in Adopt a Bill visit our website at: https://sites.google.com/a/maine.edu/adopt-a-bill/
- Visit the facebook page for the UMA Community Garden
- Discover more about the UMA Community Garden by clicking this link: Garden_Book.pdf
Adopt a Bill
- This semester we are following four important pieces of state legislation through the legislative session to see whether they beome law
- For updates on these important pieces of legislation please visit https://sites.google.com/a/maine.edu/adopt-a-bill/
Why get involved?
- Apply hands-on, practical experience that connects college learning
with real life situations - Build your resume with experiences that will increase your
employability - Explore career opportunities and skills that will generalize to your
field of study - See the world from different points of view
- Gain life-long skills in citizenship and activism
- Participate in helping the greater good
Come join us at the Office of Civic Engagement. Let's change the world together.
For more information
Contact the OCE staff:
Valerie Marsh, Coordinator of Civic Engagement - 621-3158
Tristram Draper, Americorps*VISTA - 621-3173
Office of Civic Engagement, Augusta
Randall Student Center 206
1-877-862-1234, ext. 3158
