Community & Civic Engagement

Three students and one worker discuss tool safety in The Tool Library workshop near UB's South Campus.

Learn about advocacy. Create social change. Give back to UB and beyond through Community and Civic Engagement programs.

About Community & Civic Engagement

Our programs provide UB students an opportunity to learn about social injustices, partner with local, national, and international organizations and build a strong network of diverse peers who are motivated to create positive social change.

Community engagement is a two-way process that seeks to deepen relationships and trust between organizations, communities, and citizens by incorporating the needs and values of these groups into policy development, planning, and decision-making processes.

The term “community” is used to broadly define groups of people that come together based on common goals, shared interests, geography, and more. The term “engagement” encompasses the feeling that one is included in important civic and social activities and able to contribute meaningfully. Find your community and engage in meaningful experiences through our signature programs!

On This Page

Staff

Get to know the staff on the Community and Civic Engagement Team who help to inspire advocates, create positive social change, and foster community in our students. 

Community Service & Volunteer Opportunities

Find other opportunities to volunteer and make a difference off-campus on a local, national, and international scale!

  • Alternative Breaks
    12/20/24
    Whether it's working in community gardens around Buffalo, NY or teaching English to children in the Dominican Republic, UB students are making a positive global impact. 
  • Ready, Set, Buffalo!
    9/8/16
    Embark on a transformative journey of service and self-discovery before your college classes begin, as you engage in an immersive community service experience alongside fellow students who share your passion for making a positive impact.
  • Campus-Wide Volunteering
    12/20/24
    Make a big impact by participating in one of our signature campus-wide volunteer opportunities with your peers!
  • Volunteer Off-Campus
    12/20/24
    Serve your local community, meet new people, and get a better understanding of what it means to be a socially responsible citizen.
  • Community Work Study
    9/8/16
    Community Work Study Scholar Program is an experiential learning program for University at Buffalo students who are eligible for the Federal Work Study Program.  While the Empire State Service Corp offers similar opportunities, it is open to all students at the University at Buffalo.

Get Your Questions Answered!

Meet with one of the Community & Civic Engagement staff members, individually or in a group, to discuss ways to become involved in the UB and Buffalo community.

These meetings can help connect students to more volunteer resources and opportunities and support student activism event planning.

Schedule A Meeting  Schedule a meeting with someone on the Community and Civic Engagement team through Navigate.

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Civic Engagement Initiatives

Civic engagement seeks to make a positive difference in communities through civic action, civic duty, civic skills, and social cohesion.

Civic action involves active participation in volunteering or service-learning to address community needs or concerns appropriately. Civic duty is the willingness, motivation, and commitment to positively contribute to communities and society as a whole. Civic skills focus on a citizen’s ability to be involved with society, politics, and democracy in different ways, such as voting. Social cohesion centers on the trust, reciprocity, and relationship building developed among those who participate in civic engagement activities.

Learn more about how you can take action, develop these skills, and contribute to a civically-minded community with these programs!

Ambassadors of Civic Engagement Internship Program

Learn about civic engagement, active citizenship, and provide peer-to-peer support! The Ambassadors of Civic Engagement (ACEs) work as a team to promote civic engagement and learning at UB. ACEs will be trained in UB policies regarding freedom of assembly, speech, and expression, and will create presentations, educate the student body, and engage in content-neutral, non-partisan, direct voter contact tactics.

Freedom of Assembly Support Team

UB staff and faculty serving on the FAST committee support UB’s mission of helping prepare students to live and lead in a global world while deepening engagement in the local community by supporting students at activist events as they learn how to be agents of positive social change.

Celebrate Constitution Day!

Each year UB celebrates the creation of one of the most influential legal documents in existence. Since its founding on September 17, 1787, over one hundred countries around the world have used the US Constitution as a model!

Join us at the Experience UB Fair every September to learn more about this initiative.

Additional Opportunities

NFTA Day Passes

Student Engagement offers UB students free NFTA Day Passes (valid for a 24-hour period on all NFTA buses and trains) as a means to help students volunteer within the Buffalo-Niagara community. Eligibility requirements can be found on the application page.

Reserve an NFTA Pass  Reserve an NFTA pass through UBLinked.

Awards and Celebrations

Celebrate your community and civic engagement accomplishments here!

Be The Impact Challenge  Learn more about the "Be the Impact Challenge".
The Pillars of Leadership Awards  Learn more about the Pillars of Leadership Awards.

For more services and opportunities like this:

Student Engagement

Student Life

University at Buffalo
150 Student Union, North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260
Email: Contact form

Phone: (716) 645-6469