Student Activities

Service and Community Engagement

In fulfillment of the university’s mission, “education for citizenship,” Ohio State students have numerous opportunities to connect with communities, engage in social justice issues and develop skills for active citizenship. Service and Outreach programs can include a variety of time commitments from service events that last one day, one full week or an entire school year.

Pay It Forward, a student cohort within the Office of Student Life, is committed to instilling a life-long passion in Ohio State students for ‘paying it forward.’ Pay It Forward provides a variety of local  service opportunities in the Columbus community for Ohio State students, including Community Commitment the first Saturday of the semester and MLK Day of Service. For more information about Pay It Forward’s events and opportunities, or about joining the cohort, visit: payitforward.osu.edu. You can follow @PayItForwardOSU on Twitter and Instagram.

Buck-I-SERV is Ohio State’s alternative break program. Part of the Office of Student Life, Buck-I-SERV sends over 1,100 students on week-long service trips across the country and internationally. Trips are held during winter, spring and summer breaks and focus on a variety of social issues including poverty, hunger, environmental needs, education, immigration, HIV/ AIDS and more. For more information, visit: buckiserv.osu.edu or follow Buck-I-SERV at @BuckISERV on Instagram and Twitter.

OSU Votes is Ohio State’s non-partisan, student-led effort around civic engagement, OSU Votes registers, educates and encourages students to vote as part of being an active citizen. For more information, visit go.osu.edu/osuvotes and follow @OSU_Votes on Twitter and @OSUVotes on Instagram.