As a way of further institutionalizing civic engagement at the American University of Beirut (AUB), AUB established the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS). The CCECS operates to support community-based research initiatives, develop curricular opportunities for student service learning, organize a strong student volunteer program, integrate its activities into academic programs at the university, and foster productive working relations with project leaders in the community.
The Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS), located in the office of the Provost of AUB, was launched in March 2008 with the designation of half-time faculty director to lead and develop through service and engagement new institutional priorities. The CCECS aims to develop a culture of service and civic leadership at AUB.
The CCECS serves as a hub for community service and civic engagement and AUB. The center’s functions include: Support for community-based research initiatives; development of and support for service-learning; and the organization of a strong student volunteer outreach program.
A primary goal of the CCECS is to provide opportunities for faculty and students of every discipline to study and respond to critical social and civic issues affecting the people of Lebanon and the Middle East.
During Israel’s war and post-war on Lebanon in 2006, faculty, staff and students at AUB worked spontaneously with others to provide emergency care for those most affected by the violence. Following the month-long war, the university president formed a Task Force for Reconstruction and Community Service composed of AUB faculty and administrators most active in the relief effort. The Task Force offered support to other faculty and students involved in the mammoth task of immediate relief and reconstruction. The Task force further encouraged and raised funds for community-based projects to strengthen sustainable livelihoods in underserved regions. Out of this experience, the groups recommended that the university create a focal point for community service and engagement, a place that could at once advocate for, and support community engagement by faculty and students. In order to respond to those recommendations, the CCECS was created.
Since its inception in spring 2008, CCECS has linked students with many volunteering opportunities. Both short-term outreach activities and long-term community-based projects have been organized with AUB partners and others from outside the university. Some examples of the diversity: surveying traditional old houses proposed for rehabilitation and helping in the reconstruction of damaged houses in southern Lebanon; teaching computer literacy in villages; creating a day-care nursery; developing public spaces in rural communities; assisting in youth wellness projects in Bourj al Barajneh Palestinian camp; tree planting, collecting used clothing for needy families, painting Arabic poetry on urban walls, and more.
Students have generally been receptive to outreach activities. Some volunteer out of concern as socially-responsible citizens, others to enhance their credentials for career advancement, but generally, both apply. Additionally, many students clubs at AUB have community service as one of their objectives.
Furthermore, the Center has the challenge of spreading out the volunteering spirit by structuring the outreach program and providing students with greater opportunities; matching volunteer opportunities with student’s academic and personal interests; and developing a system to recognize students outreach activities. For instance, the Center is developing a ‘community transcript’ which will list all voluntary activities and complement the standard academic transcript.
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