Service & Civic Engagement

The Liberal Studies mission emphasizes students, faculty, and administrators working collaboratively to develop “global leaders that will become agents of change in a changing world.” Opportunities for civic engagement, service, and leadership are thus integral to the mission and goals of LS and New York University. Below are a selection of options for making a difference as an LS student.

Day of Service
During Orientation, new LS students are invited to volunteer for one of several service projects sponsored on campus and throughout NYC. Each service project emphasizes a particular community or social justice issue, which allows students and other volunteers to contribute toward issues that resonate with them.

LS Alternative Breaks
The alternative break program provides students with the opportunity to learn about political and social community dynamics while becoming a catalyst for collaborative change. Through both learning and practice, students explore the integration of service, education and reflection to enact change. A cohort of LS students will visit either an international or domestic location each spring semester to undertake a project relevant for that community. NYU Alternative Breaks travel during winter break or spring break.

LS Service Ambassadors
Students that have demonstrated commitment to service and civic engagement. Service Ambassadors participate in a year long program partnering with organizations across New York City to promote awareness of social issues and service opportunities.

Update for Fall  2020 semester: We are excited to announce that the LS Volunteer and Social Impact Grants applications are open again! Please click on the individual links below to access the application. At this moment, NYU is not approving funding for projects that require in-person activities or for in-person volunteering. Social Impact Grants and Volunteer Grants most likely to be approved will support projects focused on virtual programming and remote volunteering expenses. 

LS Volunteer Grants
Students who volunteer on an ongoing basis with NYC community organizations are eligible to apply for small grants through Liberal Studies. These grants help offset some of the costs associated with volunteerism, such as transportation and meals. Applicants must be matriculated LS students. Awards range from $100 to $250.

Social Impact Grants
Social Impact Grants fund student initiatives that involve making a difference in communities and enriching the quality of life. These grants model the idea that contributing back to a particular community is both an important educational experience and critical preparation for the practice of global citizenship. Applicants must be matriculated Liberal Studies students in at least the second semester of their first year. Awards range from $500 to $2,000.

Alternative Breaks
Provides students the opportunity to participate in a year-long experience exploring social, political, and cultural dynamics of a particular community. Through learning and practice, students explore the theory of integrating service, education, and reflection to create meaningful change in their communities.

NYU Green Grants
NYU Green Grants are awarded to improve the university’s environmental performance, foster environmental literacy and community engagement, advance applied research and design, and demonstrate the viability of best practices and technologies for sustainability.

NYU Social Impact Week
Social Impact Week is a collaboration between student groups, external organizations, alumni, and faculty with the goal of inspiring positive change in the NYU community. The lectures, discussion panels, volunteering and other programming offered during the week intend to create tangible and sustainable impact.

Project Outreach
A week-long program prior to NYU’s Welcome Week that pairs service-minded incoming first year and transfer students with peer mentors to learn about and perform service throughout New York City.

Service and Volunteer Fairs
At the beginning of each semester, NYU Service and the Center for Student Activities, Leadership and Service (CSALS) host a campus-wide fair to connect students with local non-profit and community-based organizations offering internships and/or volunteer opportunities.

America Reads & America Counts
Programs that encourage youth reading and mathematics skills

Community Service Project Grants
Funding for service projects or unpaid internships

Generation Citizen
GC volunteers, called Democracy Coaches, partner with teachers to teach an innovative action-based civics curriculum. Democracy Coaches help students identify a community issue that matters to them, create an action plan to address the issue, then take real-world action. 

Jumpstart
Early childhood programs that engage college student volunteers

New York Cares
Various volunteer programs that serve New Yorkers

NYC Service Initiative
Volunteer opportunities that address New York’s greatest needs

Peace Corps
Service opportunity for immersion in a community abroad

Public Service Internships
Internships with city agencies for work-study students

Civic engagement: Community service, public service and/or volunteerism by individuals and groups that “identify and address community needs and public concerns.”

—NYU Office of Community Engagement