College of Humanities and Sciences

Current Students

Hero

Community Engagement

Students in College of Humanities and Sciences are part of the dynamic and vibrant Richmond metro community and engage with the community in various ways—through personal volunteerism, service learning classes and community research experiences. Are you interested in tutoring a student from a local elementary school, working on a community garden in a food desert or volunteering at a local health clinic? These are just a few of the many activities our students are engaged in. Find ways you can get involved below.

Visit VCU's Community Engagement website

Featured Organizations

Students, staff, and faculty are engaged with several community organizations in the Richmond metro area.

Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart supports Latinx/Latino families in the Richmond metro area by providing them with tools to thrive and flourish. Sacred Heart provides an array of services and resources, such as adult GED classes, English as a second language (ESOL), conversational Spanish and the Latino Leadership Institute. The organization offers several youth and children's programs, such as Casa Lupiz, in which middle school ESOL students explore different art mediums including drawing, painting and sculpture. Volunteers are essential to Sacred Heart. They teach English classes, tutor Spanish and GED classes, read to children, paint murals on the walls, help register students, record attendance, practice citizenship interview skills and photograph events among many other activities.

Equality Virginia

Equality Virginia (EV) is the leading advocacy organization in Virginia seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) people. EV advances LGBTQ protections by monitoring LGBTQ-related legislation in Virginia and advocating on behalf of Virginia’s LGTBQ community. EV also seeks to move Virginia’s transgender and non-binary community toward equality through community conversations, resources and community connections. Several opportunities exist to get engaged in EV (e.g, donations, petition work and/or hosting a speaker).

Health Brigade

Health Brigade, formerly known as the Fan Free Clinic, is Virginia’s oldest free and charitable clinic located in Richmond’s historic Fan District. Health Brigade was established in the 1970s as a small community clinic and patterned itself after similar efforts in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Health Brigade provides diverse and integrated medical, mental health, community outreach and care coordination services for low-income and uninsured persons. Health Brigade has several volunteer opportunities for healthcare professionals as well as mental health and wellness internships, and group volunteer opportunities.

my service experience

Carver Dance gave me and other VCU students an opportunity to use our skills and knowledge from the classroom to support nearby Richmond communities. It is so fulfilling to see kids open up and have fun with the dances we share with them, as it shows us that they feel more comfortable expressing themselves.

Joanna 
Rivera
Student
Kinesiology and Health Sciences

Community Engagement Highlights

Connect: Community Engagement Conference's organizers hope community members will share their perspectives on how to address the issues that are relevant to the larger community, including challenges facing the region around health, education, equity and cultural vitality. (Contributed image)

Oct. 24, 2022

VCU invites community to participate in Connect: Community Engagement Conference on Nov. 2

Day of learning, networking and skill development will highlight the impact of successful community partnerships.

Film camp participants Bradley Baawuah, James Dew Hall and Leanna Morris prepare to film a scene under the instruction of VCU School of the Arts graduate student Manavi Singh (center) at VCU. (Photo by Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

Oct. 24, 2022

East Marshall Street Well Project engages community through film camp, K-12 education and archival research

A new grant supports public education, community research and public communication around the East Marshall Street Well and its history of structural and medical racism.

High school students at the VCU Summer Camp in Philosophy participate in a mock trial at the Academic Learning Commons at VCU in July. Among several activities during the weeklong camp focused on the concept of justice, the students discussed with VCU faculty and students what guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt" truly means. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

Aug. 1, 2022

‘It’s a way of thinking’: VCU summer camp opens high school students’ eyes to philosophy

The VCU Summer Camp in Philosophy, held for the first time this year, saw high school students prepare presentations on ethics and moral philosophy around abortion, cloning, euthanasia, legalization of drugs, racism and more.