OutReach is a community service program I am EXTREMELY involved with. It completely changed my college experience and is a program I feel very passionate about. Basically OutReach is an introduction to community service in NYC for new NYU students (freshmen and transfers) that they participate in for 4 days prior to Welcome Week. The selection process is rather difficult as we try to keep the program somewhat small so everyone can get to know one another, and all of the leaders are prior OutReach participants.
I was a participant going into my freshman year then became a leader and coordinator, and then just maintained the role of coordinator for the follow two years. Basically I have helped to organize and run the entire program which I absolutely love. However, this year I did much of the behind-the-scenes work but was unable to attend the program because it overlapped RA training. I was really upset about it but tried to get over to as much of OutReach as I could.
I attended the guest speaker (who is also the Faculty Affiliate of my floor), their big Saturday project which was a carnival for children in the Starlight Children's Foundation hosted on our campus, as well as the tail end of the Saturday evening wrap-up. I heard some really great feedback from this year's OutReach participants and leaders and am so excited because four of the participants are actually living on my floor this year!
Essentially what we do at OutReach is divide the 75 participants up into 12 groups, each run by two leaders, that participate in three different community service projects (the third being the big final one on Saturday with the whole group) during the day and then engage in reflections before going out with their group to explore NYC at night. It's a truly phenomenal program and certainly an amazing way to kick-off your college experience. Almost everyone walks away from it a changed, more enlightened person, and says that their closest friends from college are the ones they met at OutReach--and my situation is no different. I just wish I could continue to be a part of the program in the future because it feels like it has become my baby since I've been here and it was really hard for myself, and all the other seniors in the program, to accept that it is our senior year and we do have to pass the torch and watch the flame grow! But I am certainly excited to do that because I know I'm leaving OutReach in great hands!