2019 Continuums of Service Conference

“You know what kind of community surrounds UVU, right?!” When we told our in-state colleagues our plans to transform Utah Valley University’s Volunteer & Service-Learning Center into the Center for Social Impact, they thought we were crazy—and that it couldn’t be done. UVU is located in the heart of a very conservative county in a very conservative state, and is now home to the Center for Social Impact. With our updated mission of "Driving social impact by connecting students and community," we now promote a framework of diverse pathways for active citizenship that goes beyond volunteerism and service-learning. By combining Stanford’s Public Service Pathways and Break Away’s Active Citizen Continuum, we design programs, initiatives, and collaborations that move students from pathway entry points to more substantial community learning experiences. This storytelling session will detail the journey we took to realize this transformation, including the development of our strategic framework, getting campus buy-in and formal approval, and our plans moving forward.