Civic Engagement
“The smallest unit of health is community.” --Wendell Berry
The mission of Civic Engagement initiatives at UHS is to build UW-Madison’s capacity to offer high-quality opportunities for students to develop and apply the attitudes and aptitudes necessary for effective, engaged citizenship.
Our work involves
- Addressing quality, scope, and impact of current civic engagement opportunities;
- Supporting development of new opportunities that reach new campus and community constituents;
- Matching community assets and needs with university resources and interests;
- Addressing gaps in programming and opportunity that compromise student development;
- Assisting campus community in defining and adhering to quality standards for civic engagement opportunities;
- Offering new and innovative models for effective civic engagement practice; and
- Convening campus and community groups to involve them in expanding and enhancing civic engagement practice.
One example would be our role as a partner in TechShop Madison, a program that engaged UW-Madison students in providing information technology assistance to nonprofit organizations. It was modeled after the highly successful “science shops,” which link university research and technical assistance resources to community-generated projects in the European Union.
Over four semesters, TechShop trained and supported 34 students to serve as technology consultants and educators for 45 local nonprofit organizations in Dane County. For examples of TechShop projects, go to: http://comm-org.wisc.edu/techshop/projects.html
For more information about Civic Engagement, contact:
Katherine Loving, MSSW
Civic Engagement Coordinator
University Health Services
333 East Campus Mall #8104
Madison WI 53715-1381
kaloving@uhs.wisc.edu
608-263-5714
