Community Service

Guidelines for Bengal Stripes Leadership Program

In order to complete the community service requirement as an action item in the Purple Stripe part of the Bengal Stripes Leadership Program, students will:

Make an appointment and meet with a staff member in the Civic and Community Engagement Office for an orientation and one-on-one support with identifying a nonprofit organization where you can complete your community service action item that fits your interests. You can reach the CCE in South Wing 130 or at cce@buffalostate.edu and 716-878-3919,
Complete 20 hours of community service at one singular nonprofit organization so you are able to invest your time and talents into the organization, it’s mission, and the community issue being impacted.
Submit the Service Hour Log to Student Leadership and Engagement via the Bengal Stripes Leadership Program Blackboard page. This document must be signed and verified by the volunteer coordinator or contact person at the nonprofit organization where you completed your community service.
Submit a 2-page reflection on Blackboard.

Community Service Reflection

2-page Reflection Prompts for the conclusion of your community service action item

Reflecting on your community service experience as part of the Bengal Stripes Leadership Program will help you to deepen your understanding of the experience, the community, the social issue. This reflection will also allow you to explore the role you play as a member of the community.

You’ll use the What?, So What?, and Now What? model in your reflection. By reflecting on these three key questions, you’ll be able to think through the significance and future implications of your community service experience.

What? Describe in detail the experience.

Potential prompts:

What was your role? What did you do?
What social issue is being addressed or population is being served?
What were your initial expectations?
What did you learn from the experience about yourself, the community, or the social issue?
What part of your experience was most surprising?
What part of your experience was most challenging?

So What? Describe why this experience was significant.

Potential prompts:

What about the experience stuck out to you/made an impact on you?
What emotions did the service experience evoke?
What broader issues arise from your experience in the community?
How were you different/similar to other people involved? How did being different help/hinder?
What values, opinions, decisions have been made or changed through this experience?
How did your service experience address the needs or challenges of the community?
How has your understanding of the community issue changed as a result of your service experience?

Now What? Describe next steps.

Potential prompts:

Where do you go from here? How will you apply what you learned from your service experience?
How can you continue your involvement with this group or social issue?
What would you like to learn more about, related to this social issue or the community?
What information can you share with your peers or the community?
If you could do the service experience again, what would you do differently?
How will your efforts on this project contribute to your career?
How can society better address the problem from the project?

Forms

Bengal Stripes Community Service Log (Microsoft Word)

Bengal Stripes Community Service Log (PDF)