Leadership and Community Engagement

A collage of our staff and volunteers. One picture is from our volunteer appreciation party in the Viking Union Solarium, where our Western Hub of Living Essentials Coordinator Leo Curtis is holding their hands up and a handful of staff and volunteers present are sitting around the table smiling at the camera. Another photo features a golden lab puppy from Brigadoon Service Dogs that came to a volunteer fair. Along the bottom, it says "Leadership and Community Engagement."

About Us

Leadership and Community Engagement houses five programs: Fall Info Fair, the Community Service Center, the Literacy Tutor Program, the Western Hub of Living Essentials (W.H.O.L.E.), and Leadership Connection.  All of these are unified under the common goal of empowering students through leadership, volunteerism, and service. Whether it is providing for critical student needs, offering community service opportunities, or networking students to the club that’s right for them, the Leadership and Community Engagement department seeks to strengthen the bond between students and the community.

Our Mission

Our mission is to connect Western students with the surrounding community, providing hands on experience, leadership learning, and the opportunity to make a difference in the community. All of our programs work to ensure students find a connection on campus, fulfill basic needs, and grow as civic leaders in the community.

Associated Students (AS) Fall Info Fair

Students walking around Red Square during Fall Info. Fair, with dozens of clubs and campus organizations tabling around the fountain. The fountain is not on, but in the background, Miller Hall and the trees of Sehome Arboretum can be seen, framed by the leaves of London plane trees in the foreground.

An annual gathering of campus organizations, student clubs, and local businesses. It is one of the biggest campus events of the year, with over a hundred exhibitors annually and at least a thousand visitors a day. 

Community Service Center

Three of our staff smiling warmly and enthusiastically from behind a table at our first Volunteer Fair. They made the table decorative, with a heart of candy around one of our flyers.

We are the office that helps students get connected to volunteer opportunities both on and off campus to help build a stronger community and improved selves. We organize days of service with a variety of ways to get involved with local organizations that tackle homelessness, food security, environmental restoration, foster care, and more.

Literacy Tutor Program

A person teaching a child how to read a brightly illustrated kid's book.

The WWU Reading Literacy Tutors is a Work study program that employs WWU students as reading tutors for elementary school students, to facilitate their reading skills. If tutor and coordinator positions are available, they are posted on the Student Employment Website. 

Photo Credit: Flickr, Creative Commons 

Western Hub of Living Essentials (W.H.O.L.E)

WHOLE's fridge and shelves.

W.H.O.L.E. is an on-campus food pantry located in VU 435 that provides free food, including fresh produce, and non-food items such as toiletries, period products, condoms, lube, and more. 

Leadership Development

A National Society of Leadership and Success ceremony with (Left to right): Joanne DeMark (Adviser), Tara Perry (Teaching Excellence Award Recipient), Daniel Stockman (Former Club President)

Leading today, leading tomorrow, leading forever. 

Photo Credit: WWU National Society of Leadership and Success

How to Reach Us

We are located in the Community Service Hub (VU 424) on the East Fourth Floor of the Viking Union. 

 

Our office is staffed between 9 am and 4 pm every weekday. 

 

We can also be reached via email at as.csc@wwu.edu or called at 360-650-4190. 

Upcoming Events

Save the Fish, Man: Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association Earth Day Work Party

Join the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) and the Whatcom Conservation District (WCD) in Ferndale to help restore salmon habitat along the Nooksack River in Ferndale! 

This work party is from 9 am to noon on Saturday April 20th. Parking is at 2522 Kwina Road. 

Please let NSEA and WCD know you're coming by registering on their volunteer website.
 

Rides Available! 

 

A Word for Mother Earth: An Environmentally Themed Open Mic Night!

Join us in the Underground Coffee House on Tuesday April 23rd from 7 to 9 pm to share your perspectives about and appreciation for Mother Earth with humor, song, spoken word, and more!

 

Tools for Sustainable Eating: Plant Your Own Herb Garden and Decorate Your Own Tote Bag!

Always forgetting your tote bag? Want to try growing your own food? This combo event covers it all!

You're less likely to forget a personalized tote bag when you go shopping (you've got to show off your art!) so we're providing FREE cotton tote bags that you can decorate at this event!

Go to food shopping less in the first place by planting your own indoor herb garden! We will be providing all of the materials for that as well!

Just bring yourself, your artist's eye, and your green thumb to the fifth-floor lobby of the Viking Union on Friday April 26th from 10 am to noon.
 

Planet Hope: How Nature's Resilience Can Inspire a Sustainable Future

Got the case of the ecological blues? You're not alone! Climate anxiety impacts an estimated 27% of Americans and that number is growing. 

This event will help motivate you to do whatever you can for the environment better than fear can through a presentation about the surprising resilience of nature and activities to help you get in touch with your more optimistic self. It will also allow you to meet others who are also experiencing climate and eco anxiety and work through it together. 

This event will feature free certified regenerative coffee from Tony's Coffee (their Forecast Blend), free bagels from The Bagelry, and free cream cheese from Trader Joe's! 

To participate, join us in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room on Monday April 29 from noon to 2 pm.