[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/boy_outreach_cover_opt.jpg” caption=”Artwork by Casey Parsons”]When Katrina Cox thinks about her day, she sort outs how she's going to fit in classes, studying, friends and a part-time job. It's a busy life for the McMaster women's swim team athlete, who must also squeeze in two practices a day. Then she thinks about the cancer survivors she helped raise money for through the Athletics Council Student Outreach Program. Suddenly her day isn't so tough.

The co-ordinator of the outreach program has been given a new outlook on life due to her involvement with the initiative that reaches into the community to help others. It aims to have the involvement of every McMaster varsity team in a community project of their choice through a designated “outreach day.”

It's just one way McMaster students are helping others. A number of student clubs are dedicated to student outreach, including Shinerama, Smiling Over Sickness, War Child Canada @ McMaster and McMaster Students for Literacy. There are more than 400 volunteers that help with student services offered through Career Planning and Employment Centre (CPEC) and Centre for Student Development (CSD) and there are a number of student outreach initiatives within faculties, such as Engineers Without Borders and the School of Nursing's M.A.C. Door, a program that helps homeless youth leave the streets.

Student outreach is a growing trend at McMaster. A large percentage of the student body participates each year in several student-led, community initiatives. In fact, more students than ever are reaching into the community to help others, says McMaster associate vice-president student affairs Phil Wood. He has numbers to prove it.

“Last year I surveyed 1,000 students in their graduating year for the Canadian University Survey Consortium and of the 527 that responded, 53 per cent reported some involvement in community service or volunteer activities, either on- or off-campus,” he says. “More than half of the students surveyed in their graduating year in 2003 reported involvement in community service or volunteer activities. This is one of the highest participation rates in the country.”

Numbers also show the benefits of volunteering. “Fifty-six of those who experienced off-campus community service or volunteer activities reported that it contributed very much to their growth and development,” adds Wood.

Not only does community service contribute to personal growth and development of the student outside of the classroom, it creates a sense of belonging and responsible citizenship in the University community, says Wood. “It also builds self-esteem and confidence in one's ability to make a contribution and a difference to the community.”

For Cox, she volunteers for a number of reasons. But mainly, she does it because she knows she's making a difference.

Founded in 2003 by McMaster alumni Katie Coulson and Carla Cupido, the student outreach program involves an activity of the student's choice. Last year, outreach ranged from running a haunted house at Halloween for the Girls and Boys Club, helping raise money for the Terry Fox Run and cleaning up Cootes Paradise.

“Teams usually pick something close to their heart,” says Cox. “My team, the women's swim team, we have a lot of women whose mothers have had breast cancer so last year we did the run for the cure for CIBC to raise money for the cancer society.”

“It was a great experience,” says the third-year science student. “We were such a large team that we were a great presence and they really appreciated it. A lot of people came up to us afterwards and said thanks so much for your donation and your time.”

The community has been very supportive, she adds. In fact, letters of thanks have poured in.

Shelagh Snider and David Daylor of the Westdale Business Improvement Association were impressed by McMaster's fencing team's outreach that involved decorating the Westdale Village for the Christmas season. “Not only did they do a wonderful job but they were wonderful ambassadors for McMaster,” they wrote to director of athletics and recreation Therese Quigley. “We had the pleasure of getting to know them over brunch and we were extremely impressed with their enthusiasm and commitment to the fencing team and to doing outreach in the community.”

The athletic outreach program is one of the largest forms of assistance on campus, but it is by far the only. The McMaster Students Union has several social issues clubs dedicated to outreach. One of them is War Child Canada @ McMaster, which works in co-operation with War Child Canada to help raise awareness and funds for humanitarian projects for young victims of war.

“We got involved with War Child Canada because we wanted to help others expand their knowledge of what actually happens outside of the University bubble, so as to speak, and to encourage others to take an active role in lending a hand or in our case, a voice,” says Lily DeMiglio, a fourth-year psychology student, who with students Jacqui Lukas, Freda Omaswa, and alumna Linney Lau started the club in 2002. “We feel that it is important for students to get involved in outreach initiatives because it enables one to gain a more holistic impression of what is happening in the world around them and to make a contribution in whichever way they can.”

McMaster alumna Eva Godelis, who graduated in 2001 with honours anthropology and English, is proof student outreach works.

Godelis, who was a tutor with McMaster Students for Literacy for three years while a student here, is now a regional co-ordinator for McMaster's Student Literacy for Frontier College, a Canada-wide volunteer-based literacy service. Immediately following graduation, she was hired by Frontier College to co-ordinate the Students for Literacy program at McMaster and Brock universities. She recruits volunteers and does community networking with other partners.

Godelis doesn't deny her volunteer experience helped her get a job. Neither does Phil Wood. He believes volunteerism helps prepare students for real life experiences after graduation. It also looks good on a resume, he says. “It demonstrates drive and leadership to potential employers to take on non-paid opportunities to build experience profile. It also builds character and makes for a well rounded individual.”

Faculties also encourage volunteerism. Engineers Without Borders (EWB), for example, conducts outreach locally and internationally. On an internationally scope, students travel overseas to conduct research on how to deliver cleaner water, provide internet access and safer living standards, says Yvonne Ng, third-year chemical engineering and biosciences student and an executive member of EWB.

“Every year our club sends a student to implement a research project in another country. I believe that EWB enables communities to see that university students can make a positive change in the world by just applying knowledge gained through school and also knowledge gained by just working together with other students across the world. I think that students should get involved in clubs such as EWB since many students do not see what their knowledge from school can do besides getting jobs and opportunities such as that.”

Locally, EWB visits high schools to show students how to get involved in outreach and make a positive change.

McMaster's Career Planning and Employment Centre helps students find a role as a volunteer. Currently, CPEC boasts 400 volunteers. Some are notetakers for students with disabilities; some help improve academic skills; while others are involved in English as a Second Language support programs and career planning education.

“CPEC encourages all students to add volunteer experience to their resume,” says Wood. “The skills and experience gained can be just as valuable as paid work experience. Volunteering exposes you to career opportunities to help you make career decisions and it helps you build your networks which will eventually lead to securing jobs.”

Like many student volunteers, Cox admits that balancing school and outreach can be taxing. “A lot of times when you walk up to a student, they're not just a student. They're a student, an athlete, a part-time worker and a volunteer.”

But even with the demands they face, those who volunteer do so because they feel compelled. The athletes involved with the Athletics Council Student Outreach Program, for example, are not required to participate. But nearly all do, says Cox. “The consensus has been that this is a great program. You can't deny it. When you're going out and doing something for the community it's a feel good aspect. You know you're making a real difference.”

Artwork: Casey Parsons