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In this unique partnership, initiatives are developed and implemented by neighborhood residents with significant results. Residents are moving into safe, affordable housing. Neighborhood children and their parents have access to some of the best educational opportunities in the nation. New businesses are sprouting. And events, activities and special programs are improving the overall quality of life in Main South. Perhaps most importantly, people care about their neighborhood again.
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Community Engagement
Clark¹s involvement with UPP is a natural outgrowth of the University¹s tradition of social activism and its reputation for finding creative unconventional solutions to real-world problems. Clark students, faculty and alumni have always been involved with community organizations and neighborhood initiatives. UPP has inspired even more of these activities and created new opportunities for community involvement at Clark.
- Clark¹s new Community Engagement and Volunteering Center serves as a central hub on campus fro the University¹s long-standing volunteer efforts. The center maintains a database of Worcester organizations with volunteer programs and provides services that help students find activities that best meet their interests.
- Urban Development and Social Change (UDSC), an academic concentration for Clark undergraduates, is a direct result of the University¹s involvement with UPP. The concentration examines the development and evolution of cities. Each year, a select group of UDSC students puts theory into practice with summer research projects. In recent projects, students have collected data about the neighborhood for use by the Main South CDC.
- Clark students are regular fixtures at the University Park Campus School (UPCS). They complete teaching internships at UPCS, staff the homework center and serve as mentors to UPCS students.
- Every year, Clark offers 20 Making a Difference scholarships to first-year applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to community service. Recipients also receive a stipend to support a service project with UPP.
- Partners in Community (PIC) pairs elderly residents of Main South with Clark students, who visit these residents once a week to help with chores or just to chat. The Main South CDC hosts special events for PIC participants, including bingo nights, potluck suppers, tea socials and holiday parties.
- Through Clark University Brothers and Sisters, Clark students serve as mentors for young people in Worcester and particularly in Main South.
- Clark basketball players tutor UPCS students in math and read to children at the nearby Goddard School, two long-standing programs that inspired the creation of the Clark Athletics Community Service Committee. The committee sponsors such activities as Athletic Reading Day at nearby elementary schools and participates in neighborhood clean-ups.
- All Kinds of Girls, a student-run program is geared specifically toward Worcester girls, ages 9 to 12. Once a week, participants meet on campus with their Clark mentors for activities that explore and encourage artistic expression and communication.
- The Gryphon and Pleiades and the Fiat Lux honor societies at Clark are for students dedicated to both academic excellence and community service. These and many other student organizations work in the neighborhood throughout the year, organizing events, fundraisers and neighborhood clean-ups.
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Additional Resources
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Clark students fixing up a neighborhood park
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