Get Involved in the Community
There are a multitude of ways to get involved in the local community, including through the following opportunities and organizations:
The Community Service Center
The CSC on East Campus offers numerous avenues
for Duke students and employees to find ways to get involved
in the Durham community. Their website also offers
interesting bits of information and links to Durham history
and news. Take a look:
http://csc.studentaffairs.duke.edu/
Durham Schools
The local Latino school-age population is growing at a tremendous
rate, and many of the Durham public schools continually seek student
tutors and mentors for their daytime and after school programs. Schools
such as E.K. Powe Elementary, within walking distance of Duke, and others
nearby count on time commitments from Duke students, faculty, and/or
staff. Visit the Durham Public Schools site at http://www.dpsnc.net/ and/or
contact Latino/a Studies Coordinator, Jenny Snead Williams (jennysw@duke.edu)
to put you in touch with these schools.
DukeEngage
The DukeEngage Program provides funding for undergraduate students who wish to pursue an intensive civic engagement experience anywhere in the world. Through DukeEngage students apply what they have learned in the classroom to address societal issues at home or abroad. Program descriptions are available online, including "Encuentros de la Frontera: US-Mexico Border Civic Engagement" (co-led by Latino/a Studies for two summers running) and several additional programs in Latin America. See http://dukeengage.duke.edu/
Spanish Service Learning
Within the Spanish Language Program in the Department
of Romance Studies, Spanish Service Learning has formed a
unique partnership with the Durham community in
an effort to support Duke’s mission to enhance the
integration of civic engagement into the undergraduate experience.
Through this program, Duke faculty and students, along with
Durham service agencies and their clients, work together
to develop meaningful exchanges while fostering mutual understanding
between students and the greater Durham community. See http://spanish.aas.duke.edu/courses/service.php.
El Centro Hispano
Located in downtown Durham, El Centro Hispano is a grassroots
community based organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino community
and improving the quality of lifeof Latino residents in Durham and the
surrounding area. It supports education, community development
and organizing, leadership development, and alliance formation with other
communities and organizations. The Executive Director is a Duke
alumni and the organization is open to Duke student involvement. See www.elcentronc.org
El Pueblo, Inc.
Located in Raleigh, El Pueblo is a non-profit statewide advocacy
and public policy organization dedicated to strengthening the Latino
Community. They have programs in leadership development, proactive and
direct advocacy, education, and promotion of cross-cultural understanding
in partnerships at the local, state, and national levels. El Pueblo
also hosts the cultural festival “La Fiesta del Pueblo” each
September, drawing tens of thousands of attendees and “El Foro
Latino” Latino Issues Forum in the spring/summer. Visit www.elpueblo.org and/or
contact El Pueblo’s research assistant, Sally
Bascunan,
a newly graduated Latina student leader from Duke.
El Kilombo
El Kilombo is a Durham non-profit community center and bookstore
focused primarily on the concerns of communities of color and issues related
to globalization. El Kilombo offers free computer classes, child literacy
classes, daily Internet use, and a monthly neighborhood assembly. As an entirely
volunteer project, the organization is always looking for volunteers who
are committed to the ideals of the center and help in maintaining the community
space and offered services. Please contact elkilombo@gmail.com.