Category: Volunteerism

Marblemount Food Bank: Volunteering in Rural Communities

Marblemount Washington, located in Skagit County, is a beautiful small town surrounded by forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife. It is a breathtaking area that any sightseer would love. Known for its hiking trails, motorcycle touring, and sasquatch conference and festival, Marblemount is the home to approximately 250 people. Marblemount is 21 miles out from Concrete, another …

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Amplifying Youth Voices: WA COVID Response Corps Addresses Food Insecurity

Pictures of AmeriCorps members helping in their communities

In October 2020, The SISGI Group had the opportunity to partner with The Shultz Family Foundation to support 125 AmeriCorps members who opted to serve in the Washington COVID Response Corps. During an uncertain time in our world, young people in Washington state stepped up in a big way to serve their communities and individuals experiencing …

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What Makes America Great is Our Communities #SouthernService

As an intern with the SISGI Group I recently had an opportunity to attend the 2017 Southern National Service Training Conference in Orlando, FL. When I arrived at the conference, banners and logos from a variety of agencies were on display. Some organizations were familiar to me, such as AmeriCorps and City Year and some …

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Armed with technology, would you help homeless youth?

Our video explores graphic facts of homelessness and the options for concerned citizens to explore.  NPR reports that the number of homeless in the US declined in 2013, however these statistics are often difficult to track from the transient and elusive nature of the populations under study.  Their report indicates that in 2013, around 610,000 …

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So is Voluntourism the Road Better Traveled?

Voluntourism, as discussed in a previous blog, To Go Or Not To Go, provides a unique impact and scope compared to traditional donations.  The second part of the series seeks to uncover the road of donations as compared to voluntourism in terms of reaching the destination, community impact, and the values of overhead.  The analysis …

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Bridging Social Capital for your Community

The United Nations is currently developing comprehensive assessments of the impact of social capital in communities and purports that volunteerism is the heart of social capital.  As such, it is significant for volunteers and those creating volunteer opportunities to be mindful of the approaches and opportunities being created.  To create bridging social capital requires a …

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To Go or Not To Go: Voluntourism

With the advent of global media and an increasingly connected world, the average citizen is drastically more informed and aware than yesteryear’s counterpart.  This media saturation combined with man’s natural tendency to travel has produced a budding practice coined voluntourism, where socially conscious travelers are able to incorporate humanistic ambitions with new and exciting experiences …

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Transition Towns

I spent the last month studying abroad, I have realized how differently Western Cultures actually think from each other. I’ve spent the last month traveling around Denmark and England, and have really come to realize how different the countries are from the United States. My class in Denmark focused on sustainable food efforts. This means …

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On the issue of homosexuality missionaries must be univolved

MIssionary Work in Uganda It is unacceptable for missionaries to use their resources to get polices passed into law in some African countries that they could never get passed in their own country. As is currently evident in the actions of American Evangelicals in Uganda and the kill-the-Gays bill. Missionary work” is often associated with the …

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Peer Helpers and College Suicide

Suicide is the second highest cause of death among college students and the third leading cause of death among young Americans ages 15- 24. Despite the increase in suicide prevention programs across college campuses in the United States, suicide continues to trend upward. A common complaint about college suicide prevention programs is insufficient and overworked …

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