Salt Lake Community College hosted a Community Engagement Fair to show students and staff how the school supports the community.
The Thayne Center organized the fair, which was held Monday at South City Campus and Tuesday at Taylorsville Redwood Campus. The event allowed students and staff to meet SLCC community partners.
“The Thayne Center works with over a hundred organizations, [and] one of the things our community partners said they wanted was an opportunity to connect with more students,” says interim director Sean Crossland. “We are really just trying to bridge the gap between the community and what we do here at Salt Lake Community College.”
Some of the community partners associated with the Thayne Center include the Community Writing Center, Easter Seals, Catholic Community Services, South Valley Sanctuary and many others who had booths at the fair.
Visitors were treated to pizza, donuts and muffins as they learned about service opportunities.
What many students may not realize is that a lot of classes they sign up for are service-learning classes.
These classes all combine academic instruction with a service component. Service-learning classes focus on critical, reflective thinking and personal and civic responsibility. Service-learning classes are taught in a variety of subjects like anthropology, English and political science.
The Thayne Center can help SLCC students find the perfect service opportunity, whether it be gardening, tutoring, or raising awareness for a cause.
“Everything you do as a community service can benefit yourself and the people you care about,” says Crossland. “It’s not about going out and helping some other community that needs your help; it’s about making the world more what you want to see, and a better place.”
