Students looking to get engaged without buying a ring had the perfect opportunity to do so this Thursday during the U’s Community Engagement Day.
In the third annual day of service, U students spent their day volunteering in a variety of activities across campus, including gathering supplies for Salt Lake City’s Road Home homeless shelter and cleaning the grounds at Red Butte Gardens, among others.
The day of service is part of an initiative at the U to help students use their education to contribute to the community around them.
This year, the day of service featured Project Youth, a program that brings elementary school students from various schools within Salt Lake City to the university campus for the day.
Miranda Best, a senior in international studies and program director for the event, said she was very happy with the inclusion of Project Youth in this year’s Community Engagement Day.
“One of the biggest things we want [the kids] to get from this is to have them feel empowered and inspired to make goals,” Best said. “I think we were able to do that and the kids really enjoyed everything they participated in.”
The youth event began with a welcome assembly and an opening address by U president David Pershing. Student athletes and the U’s a cappella group, Infrared, greeted the elementary school students. After the assembly, students were separated into school groups to attend interactive classes around campus.
The event welcomed nearly 140 volunteers total, including six core committee members and 20 team leaders in charge of guiding elementary students to various events.
Gina Allyn, a junior in exercise and sports science and a Project Youth team leader, hopes this event will encourage those who attended to start preparing for college early.
“A lot of them don’t really think that college is an option for them,” Allyn said. “This event is here to inspire them and tell them that they can go to college, that they should go to college … it’s a whole lot of fun.”
Project Youth is currently one of the longest standing traditions of the Bennion Center, celebrating its 25th year at this year’s Community Engagement Day.
The event hosted nine elementary school classes total and welcomed nearly 600 elementary students.
Allyn said she felt the project was beneficial to both the students and the volunteers that were involved.
“The greatest moment of Project Youth for me was when the kids were leaving the busses, waving and smiling,” Allyn said. “They’re waving at us from the bus, but I also can see that they don’t want to leave.”
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