OACS Update

Posted by Eileen Remley on Tuesday, March 14, 2017 in News Blurbs.

The Office of Active Citizenship and Service invites interested undergraduate students to apply to be part of Local OACS DIVE cohorts launching Fall 2017. DIVE (Design as an Immersive Vanderbilt Experience) is a new, innovative university program with both curricular and co-curricular components that expands access to design thinking methodologies to students, faculty and staff. DIVE participants will learn human-centered design skills in order to solve complex, real-world problems, working in multidisciplinary teams on immersive, mentored projects. Local OACS DIVE cohorts will include direct service with local community partners and the opportunity to apply the human-centered design process to support community-identified challenges, all through the lens of critical service-learning

The Local OACS Dive Experience will Include:

DIVE Boot Camp ideally before, but possibly during, their co-curricular project

Opportunity to partner with a variety of campus offices, including OACS, the Wond’ry, the Curb Center, and the Jean and Alexander Heard Library (depending on the available projects)

• Multidisciplinary project teams working with local community organizations and members to solve real-world challenges over the course of a semester around themes similar to the ones below:
  • The experience of displaced persons living in Nashville
  • Progression of juveniles through the justice system
  • Food waste
  • Affordable housing
  • Access to equitable education
  • Glass recycling
• Participation in an end-of-the-year showcase to share findings

Applications for the Local OACS DIVE cohorts will be available mid-March, and cohort members will be selected by early May. Stay tuned for more information about this exciting new Local OACS initiative!

To learn more about the DIVE program, visit http://www.vanderbilt.edu/strategicplan/dive.php. 

Spring Break Service Trips

Spring break saw more than 700 Vanderbilt students travel domestically and internationally for week-long service trips planned, implemented and led by student leaders in coordination with local partner organizations. These projects, ranging in scope from healthcare to education to environmental advocacy, were organized and executed by student leaders. In each case, project planning and implementation extended back to the beginning of the academic year, if not further. OACS commends the spirit of service that guided these projects and congratulates students on the successful completion of their spring break service trips!