Standing for human rights above all else is not a left-leaning issue, according to Kaela Watson.
Watson is a coordinator for the University of Idaho Center for Volunteerism and Social Action, which is open to all students, regardless of their political standing.
“Putting on programs and events that are going to be accessible … and actually going to make a difference, even in a couple people’s lives, that’s a wonderful feeling for me,” Watson said.
Alternative Service Breaks (ASB) and local service opportunities combine to make up the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action, said Amber Schneider, the organization’s faculty program coordinator.
“We have those three set sections, but we are constantly trying to acquire feedback from students, staff and faculty — really, all of our stakeholders — and develop our programming to meet the needs of the students at U of I, because that’s ever changing,” Schneider said.
After seeing a flyer for an ASB trip during her first year at UI, Annarose Qualls applied for the trip and traveled to the country of Togo in Africa. As a fourth-year student, Qualls now serves as an ASB coordinator.
Qualls has spent her entire college experience being involved in ASB trips — from attending and leading trips to working as an office coordinator.
With one of her degrees emphasizing global resources and country development, ASB trips have taught her a lot about social justice and community development inside and outside the classroom, Qualls said.
ASB trips allow students to travel anywhere, from a weekend in a different part of Idaho to almost two weeks abroad. Student immerse themselves in service work and learn more about social justice issues, Schneider said.
Amber Scheider | Courtesy
“The fact that we have an office that focuses on social justice education within student affairs that exists without a multicultural student space or an identity-focused space is pretty unique,” Schneider said. “I think it complements the programs that are happening within those multi-cultural student spaces and the identity-based spaces around campus.”
Now in her first year as the organization’s program coordinator, Schneider said she decided on UI because of the uniqueness of the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action.
Last year, the office worked to make the center a more collaborative space within the Department of Student Involvement, said Ayo Kayode-Popoola, the lead local service coordinator.
Kayode-Popoola supervises three students who focus on maintaining the Vandal Food Pantry, as well as any service events they organize, including Make a Difference Day and Saturday of Service.
With student positions constantly changing, the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action has created a system to train new staff members effectively, Kayode-Popoola said.
“They (the students) are mainly the drive behind the change that we see in this space,” Schneider said.
It can be easy to stay in a static place with student affairs, but the office plans to keep developing and changing, she added.
In her second year as an ASB coordinator, Qualls said she has learned not only how things are done, but also how they can be improved within her specific section.
“Being innovative and thinking what haven’t we done, what haven’t we tried,” Qualls said.
Informing UI students about social justice issues is the core mission of the Center for Volunteerism and Social Action. While Schneider said they have been criticized in the past for being too left-leaning, they do everything they can to make their programs accessible and inclusive for all.
“Something that is true in our programming — that will always be true — is that we hold human rights as a top priority in our programming. We will never do something that will undermine that position,” Watson said.
Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee