ServiceNation

Throughout the past year, we have witnessed unprecedented levels of civic engagement. But for some the interest and excitement around the political process seemed to trail off after the November 4 Election -- and for others in January after the historic inauguration of President Obama.  

Our buddy Our buddy Joseph Porcelli over at ServiceNation is rockin' the mic and seems to have an "in" at all the hottest service happenings around town. You can watch behind the scenes coverage of this morning's Service Nation Breakfast at Ballou High School, or take a quick stroll behind the infamous Ballou Marching Band as they lead hundreds of volunteers in a lively march down the street for a day of rennovation projects at Simon Elementary School.  Plus, stay tuned as Joseph pops up around town throughout the night and all day tomorrow. It appears he will put a mic in front of anyone - so, if you're out and about and it looks like you're up to "good" Joseph will probably find you!

And, if you didn't wake up in time to make it to the ServiceNation breakfast this morning Julia Rocchi offers a great play by play over on her blog.  

Did you watch the debates last night and wonder, "What does any of this mean for someone my age?" Then the politically engaged students at Columbia U might be able to help answer that. Today's post, which wraps up our three-part series, features interviews with the political chair of the Black Student Association and one of the leaders from the College Republicans.

Just a reminder -- the views expressed here don't necessarily reflect the views of the Social Citizens bloggers or the Case Foundation. This presentation simply highlights how students view the intersection of service and politics, and how Millennials overall can play a part.

Ok, CYA moment is over. :) On with the interviews! And thanks for checking out all these terrific examples of students in action.

Columbia's Black Student Organization (BSO) aims to implement a comprehensive action program designed to promote an understanding of the past, present, and future problems and needs of black students and the black community.  as well as to the Black community. They also strive to develop effective methods for dealing with these problems.

Listen to BSO's political chair discuss service in her own life, and how it impacts her campus activism.

The Columbia University College Republicans is a political organization and chartered member of the Earl Hall Student Governing Board. It was formed to publish and promote ideas and positions of the Republican Party, while also supporting political activities of Republican students on campus.

Hear a College Republican leader explain her organization's role on campus, and its connection to service.

We introduced you to community and arts causes at Columbia U yesterday. Now we're playing to the left side of your brain by featuring student group Engineers Without Borders (flickr pics here!).

The Columbia U chapter of Engineers Without Borders addresses the problems facing people locally and globally by pulling together students from engineering and arts backgrounds to work on creative, sustainable, engineering solutions. In a great example of looking beyond campus walls, they are currently working on three programs in Ghana, India, and Uganda.

Hear one young engineer's wish for how service legislation can help his cause.

Sooo, remember that time I conducted a bunch of interviews with students before the ServiceNation candidates' forum and promised to post them? Probably not, because I promised it three weeks ago, and we all have memory spans attuned to a fleeting digital age. :)

That said, there's no better time for a reminder about all the ways Millennials are serving on- and off-campus, particularly as the ServiceNation event hoopla dies down, and the real work of a movement begins. And Social Citizens is doing its part by featuring a series of posts this week that highlight the students, organizations, and causes they dig at Columbia University.

I recorded these on-the-go mini-sessions on Sept. 11 while on the prowl through the student activity fair near Low Library. I did my best to hit on a wide array of missions, program structures, ethnicities, political orientations, and religious views in my interviews.

Note: For all the usual legal reasons, we're simply presenting and reporting on these views, not endorsing, condemning, or otherwise qualifying them. Feel free to leave respectful comments sharing what you think!

Also, I know we're only representing one university at the moment -- a result of time and promixity, not preference, I assure you. But if you guys like what you hear here, and think your college has a compelling story to share, let me know!! The more ideas and discussion, the better. We'd love to chat.

Ok, enough with all the level-setting. Time for the fun stuff!

Our first organization, Columbia Community Outreach (CCO) is a student-organized, student-run undergraduate service day that promotes community service on campus while bringing together the Columbia University community. Their goals include raising awareness of opportunities for long-term service and forming mutually beneficial relationships with the Harlem and Morningside Heights communities. Something must be working, because every year, over 1,000 students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteer for a day and go out into the city to work alongside community members and non-profit organizations!

Listen to CCO representatives discuss what service means to them.

Artists Reaching Out (ARO), our second organization, believes in empowering children through arts education. The college volunteers plan the classroom curriculum in which they use art as a means of inspiring creativity, building confidence, and sparking passion. They focus on building relationships with elementary school students at P.S. 125.

Listen to ARO participants discuss how ServiceNation might impact their work.

Stay tuned for more interviews later this week!

Ah, the joys of having tech gurus as colleagues! Thanks to Eric and Erik for helping me figure out how to post the photos I really wanted to post yesterday. Come relive the magic with me ...

As I noted yesterday, I'm not the only Social Citizens blogger to make an appearance at this Summit. Allison was here too, covering the forum for her other web properties. Here's an article she wrote for The Huffington Post about Millennials, service, social media, and more. Good stuff  -- check it out. You might even see a tiny shout-out to yours truly. ;)

The beauty of being with other press is that we all like to talk. And the more we talk (or Twitter), the more questions come up about the nature of service.

The program's about to start, so I can't dive in now, but here's some food for thought we'll flesh out in the future:

* If you offer financial incentives for volunteering, are you somehow diminishing the volunteerism?

* How much should government get involved in service? Specifically, how much should they put taxpayer funds toward it?

* Are the terms service and volunteerism really interchangeable? Is one the umbrella for the other?

* What's the role of altruism in serving? Do incentives change people's motives?

Ok, we're starting --- tune in to Twitter to follow the action! (hash tag #sn08)

For fans of the original tube: The candidates' forum is live on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and CSPAN. Check your local listings. (Hurrah! I've always wanted to say that!!)