August OACS Update

Posted by kruegeak on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 in News Blurbs.

OACS Summer Programming

In July, OACS has been busy with numerous summer programs. The service-learning program in Morocco has come to a close. This program focused on human rights, immigration, women’s rights and education. Students participated in lectures on Moroccan history and culture as well as participated in Dirijan language courses with the Center for Cross Cultural Learning. The Vanderbilt Internship in Washington, D.C. (VIEW) program has also concluded. This program paired 15 students with internship experiences with non-profit organizations, legal organizations, and on Capitol Hill to explore the many options of careers in public service. The OACS global service-learning program in London is continuing to investigate the public health sphere. Students have begun their service at placement sites, learned more about the state of public health in London by meeting with representatives of the Newham Council, the Mayor of Newham and The Greater London Authority, toured Parliament, and connected with Vanderbilt alumni in London. The Dean of the Commons, Vanessa Beasley, is scheduled to meet with the cohort on July 30^th.

To learn more about an OACS global service-learning program or the VIEW program, please visit our website.

Stay Connected to the Nichols Humanitarian Fund Award Recipients

The Nichols Humanitarian Fund was established in 2006 by the E.C. and Lucile Hamby Nichols Trust, and by Edward C. Nichols, Jr. (JD ’70) and his wife, Janice Nichols. The Fund is a companion scholarship fund to the Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal, and encourages Vanderbilt students to become better citizens of the world and to broaden their thinking by volunteering for humanitarian efforts. The Fund enables students to volunteer for domestic or international humanitarian service opportunities by making support available for educational, travel, and living expenses during their time of service. This summer, the fund supported 42 students in humanitarian aid work.

To learn more about the fund, please visit the Nichols Fund website. To learn more about students’ service experiences this summer, please visit the Nichols Humanitarian Fund 2017 blog.
Local OACS DIVE

The Office of Active Citizenship and Service will be launching two Design as an Immersive Vanderbilt Experience (DIVE) projects this fall focused on gentrification and affordable housing and the dichotomy of food waste and the existence of food deserts. With over 60 applications in total, each DIVE project will immerse a group of approximately 15-20 students in direct service with a local community partner. Utilizing human-centered design and service-learning theories, students will learn more about the root causes and manifestations of community-identified need.

To learn more about OACS’ DIVE projects, please visit our website.