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Disclaimer: The entries contained within the Staff Blog should not be construed as advice; it is merely for information purposes and reflects the opinions, approaches, research, and experiences of individual staff members. Students are encouraged to attend Drop-in Advising to discuss their situation with a career advisor.

Making a Difference through Social Change – Resources for Involvement!

November 18 2009
Posted by Ilsa May, Graduate Assistant

Many college students want to have involvement opportunities or careers that "make a difference," but how do you go about choosing the "best" way to work toward social change? There are a variety of roads you can take, depending on your own interests and values. There are academic majors focusing on education, civic leadership, human rights and public policy and environmental issues, just to name a few. There are service learning courses, internship opportunities and career prospects. The hard part is figuring out what is the best fit for you, what you will gain from the experience and how it will improve your marketability upon graduation. Employers look very highly upon job candidates that took the opportunity to get involved in a positive way outside of attending classes in college. It shows that you have interests outside of academics, care about your community and others, and shows personal initiative and motivation.

Maybe you have thought about getting more involved, want a new experience or just started at IU and don't know how to start "making a difference." Well, lucky for you because I have compiled my Top Ten Resources to Jumpstart Your Impact on Social Change! Below are a variety of resources to get started in your quest for social change, either through majors, involvement opportunities or job prospects. The list is not exhaustive, but hopefully will help you start thinking of all the available options!

Top Ten Resources to Jumpstart Your Impact on Social Change:

1. Explore Majors at IU: Select your interests to find a "making a difference" major! Every interest you select gives more options for academic majors, minors and certificates.
2. Student Activity Organizations at IU: Search "Activism", "Volunteer" or other areas of interest and get a listing of IU Student Organizations
3. Advocates for Community Engagement (ACEs) through the IUB Office of Service Learning: ACEs "serve as liaisons between service-learning students and local agencies and organizations".
4. Political and Civic Engagement (PACE) Certificate: the PACE certificate program "combines academic study with hands-on learning to give students an education in democratic citizenship". 
5. National and Local (Bloomington) Volunteer Organizations: includes names and websites links of national and local organizations where you can volunteer.
6. Local Community Service Employers: provides names and website links of local work-study employers that focus on community service.
7. Civic Leadership Development (CLD) Program through the Kelley School of Business: the CLD program "provides a wide array of opportunities for Kelley students to gain leadership skills through hands-on volunteerism in the local community and direct contact with leaders in the non-profit sector".
8. School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA): SPEA includes majors, minors, certificates and involvement opportunities focusing on "a public or environmental affair is an issue or problem that affects the quality of life on this planet for its citizens".
9. Career Resource Library (CRL) at the Career Development Center: the CRL includes numerous books related to career research such as "100 Jobs in Social Change" and "The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job that Makes a Difference."
10. Idealist.org: Careers, internships, organizations and volunteer opportunities that work "toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives."

Within many of the above links, there are additional avenues to research. Take a class in an area of interest, volunteer at an interesting organization or apply to internships to gain experience in a possible career field. Any path you decide to take will allow you to gain skills and learn more about yourself...plus make a difference!

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