Service and Volunteerism

All interested service and engagement participants are required to complete the CCSJ+YRI General Service & Engagement Registration form 1) to provide necessary contact & demographic information, 2) to acknowledge the requirements and expectations of your participation, and 3) sign up for their program or opportunity. \

IMPORTANT: Participants are expected to fill out this form each time they sign up for a new service & engagement opportunity with CCSJ + YRI.  Without completing this form, participants may not be able to access site-specific requirements for service.

All service and engagement participants are required to view our series of community engagement modules and respond to their corresponding mini-quiz prior to the start of their service & engagement experience.  These videos are intended to educate and responsibly prepare participants before participating in community engagement and service experiences. 

• Note: These videos will not play if you leave the browser.  You also will be unable to skip ahead or fast forward the videos.
• If you have trouble moving through the modules, try refreshing your browser window after completing each video and quiz.

Participants must view modules and answer the quizzes only once during an academic year.

Many of our partners and programs have specific onboarding protocols that are required to be completed by service participants prior to the start of service.  These can include separate volunteer applications, criminal background screenings, additional trainings, etc.  Specific expectations for your partner or program can be found on the “Getting Ready for Service” track on the Bridge only after selecting your community partner on the CCSJ+YRI General Service & Engagement Registration form.

• If you have trouble seeing your partner- or program-specific service expectations and you filled out the CCSJ+YRI General Service & Engagement Registration form, try refreshing your browser window.

Participants must complete these onboarding protocols prior to the start of service.

Kick-off sessions provide an opportunity for service participants prepare for service by developing their understanding of self in relation to community.  These kick-off sessions will also provide an opportunity for participants to learn more about, review and ask questions about necessary logistics for service. Kick-off sessions are required for all weekly service and community-engaged learning participants prior to the start of service.  Dates, times and locations of kick-off sessions will be shared out by the second week of each semester.  They will be found on the “Getting Ready for Service” track on the Bridge and on the CCSJ+YRI Calendar of Events.

All students serving at Baltimore City Public School sites will need to set up a time to do fingerprinting at BCPS.

• Participants must first register through the Partners in Education (PIE) portal and submit proof of their registration on the Bridge before scheduling a fingerprinting appointment.
• After submitting their registration on the Bridge, participants can then sign up for an individual fingerprinting appointment with Baltimore City Public Schools. Instructions to set up an individual appointment with BCPS can be found on the Bridge.

Several programs that CCSJ+YRI oversees directly serve and/or work with youth & minors, which would make them fall under Loyola's Safety of Children in University Programs and Reporting Abuse Policy. This policy requires participants to review the policy, undergo a criminal background screening, and complete Loyola’s online Youth Safety Training.  Please visit CCSJ + YRI’s Youth Safety Training & Expectations checklist to verify that you understand and have completed these expectations.

CCSJ+YRI can help you arrange transportation to and from your service site. Loyola has a Motor Pool of vehicles for students to travel to their community service sites.  Any student interested in using Loyola's Motor Pool to get to service and who has a driver's license in good standing is strongly encouraged to complete the Motor Pool authorization process and to be willing to drive a group of service participants (if needed).

If you plan to use Motor Pool and have a driver’s license, then please follow the instructions on the CCSJ+YRI Motor Pool Verification Form to register to drive a Motor Pool vehicle and to inform CCSJ+YRI staff of proof of your registration. 

• If you opt not to use a Motor Pool vehicle, it is understood that you do not have a driver’s license or that you plan to get to service by means other than Loyola Motor Pool vehicles.

For service participants and community partners/programs to have successful experiences, all service participants must uphold these general expectations. These community agreements apply to ALL service & engagement experiences with CCSJ and the York Road Initiative.

1. Complete the online Community Engagement videos by completing the "Community Engagement Modules" checklist on the Bridge.
2. Attend a mandatory Kick-Off & Logistics Session, when applicable.
3. Actively participate in individual and shared learning & reflection. This can occur through Education & Integration Sessions and Personal Learning Activities and/or through class discussions and assignments.
4. Respect differences of opinion, beliefs, and behavior of fellow participants and the community partner site.
5. Seek to understand the complexity of racism and oppression, being willing to challenge personal prejudices and stereotypes.
6. Demonstrate respect for our community members and community partners.
7. Abide by all of the policies and regulations of Loyola University Maryland’s Student Code of Conduct, as well as those of federal and local jurisdictions.
8. Abide by all of the policies and regulations of your assigned community partner(s).
9. To honor Loyola's commitment to our community partners, participants must consistently engage and be accountable to their assigned community partner or program. If participants will miss a scheduled engagement, they are required to notify the appropriate contact person (faculty, partner, facilitator and/or CCSJ staff person). If a participant has multiple absences, their continued engagement will be determined by the community partner and CCSJ+YRI staff. Please type your name to indicate that you understand and agree to the above.

All weekly service participants are expected to participate in two (2) educational and integration sessions through their service experience in the semester.  Students in community-engaged learning students are not required to attend (unless noted by faculty), though are welcome to join for additional learning and reflection.

The mid-semester session allows for participants whose sites focus on similar justice issues to build a shared context with respect to their engagement experience. The end of semester session encourages participants to reflect and engage in an advocacy/civic engagement experience to promote equity on their justice issue.

Attendance is mandatory at these events to engage in service throughout the semester. Participants who engage in reflections report increased understanding of the justice topic, greater connectedness to other students, and the site where they volunteer. Community Partner Coordinators often comment on Loyola students being amongst the most prepared for service and educated about the justice topic. Preparation and reflection sessions are necessary to ensure we are enhancing partner sites with Loyola’s presence. If you foresee any issues with attendance, please let the Service Coordinator for your site know immediately.