Student Groups
UC has a number of fantastic student-led groups based on community service. If you're looking for a meaningful volunteer experience and like-minded people, check out one of these groups!
1girl is a national organization with a chapter at the University of Cincinnati, advised by Liz Susong, the Program Manager at the Center for Community Engagement! The mission of 1girl is to provide leadership development to middle school girls and college women to help close the gender leadership gap. University of Cincinnati volunteers facilitate dialogue around topics such as leadership, public speaking, and current issues with 7th and 8th grade students at Cincinnati Public Schools. UC participants also have the opportunity to participate in similar groups biweekly.
Alpha Phi Omega is an international, gender inclusive, service fraternity. It has three cardinal principles: leadership, friendship, and service. Founded in 1925 at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, it has its roots in the Boy Scouts of America and the World Scouting Movement. We welcome all UC students (both undergraduate and graduate) from all UC campuses to join us in growing together in leadership, friendship, and service.
Aruna Ambassadors UC is the first student partner group to the Aruna Project. The Aruna Project brings and sustains freedom through employment marked by holistic care to sexually exploited women in India. As ambassadors, our goal is to support and bring attention to this cause with three actions in mind: to empathize, to envision, and to empower. In addition to on-campus involvement, we engage in the Aruna Project’s main fundraising and promotion event - the Aruna Run - taking place over Labor Day weekend in downtown Cincinnati and various other cities throughout the year.
ACM-W is a computer science club on campus that focuses on education, professional development, and women empowerment (you don't have to be a woman to join though!). We would love for you to volunteer with our Bearcat Coders program! Bearcat Coders is a tutoring/mentoring program that we host to encourage local elementary school and high school students to pursue their interests in technology. We currently serve two locations (Hughes STEM High School and Corryville Catholic Elementary School).
Clean Up Cincy (CUC) is Cincinnati's largest student-led beautification program. We strive to engage and impassion every student and resident alike in the effort to keep Cincinnati safe and clean. We also seek to inspire a sense of pride and accountability for keeping the city beautiful by taking the time daily to pick up trash, serve in other sustainability efforts, and invite others to do the same.
In 1995, Indiana University students Heidi Schmidt and Kristin Huang were united by a common goal: to improve children's lives by encouraging education. Heidi and Kristin created a program model that matched the needs of first through fourth grade students with the talents and resources of college undergraduates like themselves. Today, College Mentors has 33 chapters at colleges and universities across eastern and central USA. Through weekly after-school activities focused on higher education and career, culture and diversity, and community service, mentors help their "little buddies" understand the importance of education, show them the benefits to cultural understanding, and teach them ways to give back to their community. Mentoring relationships are not only beneficial for children, but the college students, as well. At College Mentors for Kids, we motivate kids and college students to reach their full potential to positively impact the community. Help College Mentors make a difference by applying online today.
Our mission is to be able to give back to the community by bringing the art of dance to those who would not be able to experience it otherwise. In addition, to provide an outlet for students of the University of Cincinnati who want to continue dancing in college by the means of community service. Our primary focus would be performing for and teaching young children in order to brighten their day and lighten their spirits.
Design in Mind is a University of Cincinnati student group dedicated to community service and the spreading of creativity in Cincinnati. The core of Design in Mind is a partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, where creative-minded UC students volunteer weekly in local elementary art classrooms to assist with daily class activities, encourage creativity, and introduce kids to careers based in creativity.
EnableUC is a student organization that utilizes 3D printing to bridge the gap between engineering and medicine. By providing resources and promoting educational outreach, we enable students to design, build, and implement solutions that directly benefit patients with disabilities. In cases ranging from pediatric prosthetics to assistive devices for traumatic brain injury, we provide functional and cost effective devices that enable patients to overcome disabilities.
Free the Slaves has the goals of raising awareness regarding the issues of modern-day slavery, furthering the goals and abolitionist ambitions outlined by Free the Slaves, and generating funds to help end modern-day slavery. Additionally, this chapter seeks to bring together all those who share these common goals within the UC community.
GQ is University of Cincinnati's premier organization for men of color that focuses on retention and graduation through programming, mentorship, and community service.
Habitat for Humanity International Inc. (“Habitat”), a Georgia nonprofit corporation, is an ecumenical Christian housing ministry that seeks to eliminate poverty housing from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people from all walks of life to work together in partnership to help build houses with families in need. The University of Cincinnati (the “chapter”) has been set up to assist Habitat by working with a local affiliate and with Habitat’s international headquarters to carry out the mission and principles of Habitat for Humanity:
We focus primarily on raising funds by holding events to purchase medical needs to distribute to our community. Our second approach is perform first aid on disadvantaged individuals and allowing our members to become First Aid Certified. This ensures our members will be helpful in situations outside of our organization.
Latinx En Accion strives to make a positive impact by serving Latinx students and the community through bringing awareness of cultural/social and identity
issues, providing a support system, and celebrating the diverse Latinx culture at the University of Cincinnati. This organization will be open to all students; we will not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, national origin, disability,
or sexual orientation. Through our different initiatives, we strive to be accessible and resourceful to our Latinx community. Our organization is open to the Latinx community, and other advocates that seek to serve the underserved community of Latinx's in Cincinnati.
Silver Wings is an organization dedicated to personal development, professional development, and civic awareness. We are a community service based organization and this year Silver Wings chapters across the nation are joining together to combat hunger!
SCNO is an organization that offers pro-bono consulting to local Cincinnati nonprofits. Through our consulting engagements, we seek to make a difference in the community and build better students from both a personal and professional standpoint.
The Big Red & Black Mentorship Program promotes career success among students at Hughes through access to transformative mentorship within UC’s undergraduate student body, focusing on achieving academic success, enhancing leadership and professional skills, defining career goals and interests in relation to post-secondary education, establishing meaningful friendships, and fostering effective decision-making. The BRB mentorship style incorporates both traditional one-on-one and group mentoring.
UC ChemCats is an undergraduate chemistry organization that provides chemistry students and other related fields networking opportunities, social events and more. We also engage in outreach activities and promote chemical education in the community.
You See Starfish mentoring program is a program that gives more successful black representation to the Taft Elementary community, it provides reassurance to the students that they’re not alone, inspires the students to dream BIG and that every dream that they dream is obtainable. The mentors establish a meaningful relationship with their mentees and community.