Increasing participation at service-learning fairs by choosing an appropriate name for the event
Abstract
Besides recruiting volunteers, service-learning fairs can exist as a forum for educating students about the big picture of civic engagement, social issues and careers in the nonprofit field. Choosing the right name for the event can certainly help to increase turnout. These ideas were shared in March 2006 on the HE-SL (service learning) e-mail discussion list, hosted by The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.Issue
Finding creative names for volunteer/service-learning fairs that suggest the breadth of activity beyond basic recruitment.Action
Some innovative names for service-learning fairs include:
- Social Awareness and Volunteer Expo (SAVE)
- Community & Social Awareness Day
- Community Awareness Day
- Service rest
- Community Action Day
- Community Connections Day
- Community Involvement Expo
- Community Resource Fair
- Learning through Service: Nonprofit & Government Career and Info Fair
- Public Service Fair
- Career and Community Engagement Fair
- Community Engagement Expo
- Internship and Volunteer Fair
- Community Awareness & Resource Day (CARD): Weaving the Fabric of Community
[List compiled by Rebecca Palmisano, rpalmisano@carrollcc.edu]
We work collaboratively with our Career Development office on a similar event and call it the Internship & Volunteer Fair — straightforward and simple. This seems to work, as it typically draws about 300-400 students during the three to four hour time period each year.
[Idea shared by Shari Galiardi, galiardisl@appstate.edu]
Career and Community Engagement Fair, which could be an umbrella concept for specific topics such as Volunteer Opportunities, Civic Engagement, Social Issues and Careers in Non-Profits.
[Idea shared by Bob Franco, bfranco@hawaii.edu]
Cornell Career Services, the Cornell Public Service Center and the Cornell Urban Scholars Program co-sponsor the Nonprofit & Government Career & Info Fair (I'd prefer using the word information but it gets really long) but we too wanted to be sure and communicate that the venue was an opportunity for all students who were looking for a variety of placements (Full-time, P/T, internships, Federal work study and volunteer). This event is open to local, regional, and national nonprofit organizations and municipalities. This year will be our 4th year annual event. Before this fair began, our office sponsored the Public Service Fair, which focused on our local nonprofit and government community offering work study and volunteer opportunities to students and staff.
[Idea shared by Renee Farkas, Associate Director of the Public Service Center, Cornell University, rcf1@cornell.edu]
Context
Besides advertising volunteer opportunities, volunteer service fairs are a great place to educate students about civic engagement, social issues and careers in non-profits, and to satisfy the needs of students looking for a variety of placements.Outcome
Coming up with just the right name for the event can help entice students to participate.Posted On
March 28, 2006Resources
The HE-SL listserv provides a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the higher education service-learning community. HE-SL listserv discussions have evolved around curriculum requests, class assignments, and the institutionalization of service-learning.
You may subscribe to the listserv via the web interface at http://lists.etr.org/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=he-sl.
Those without web access can subscribe to the HE-SL listserv by sending an e-mail message to join-he-sl@lists.etr.org.
This list is hosted by the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.