The Verrazano School
Verrazano students are required to participate in community service each academic year. Participation in community service provides support and outreach to, and builds partnerships with, organizations and areas of need within the local community. Community service involvement also helps students explore areas of interest, develop their resumes, build professional and social networks, gain new perspectives, and much more. Verrazano students are encouraged to participate in community service activities and projects together to further extend the Verrazano community into the broader community.
Service must be completed in the local community. Since CSI is a CUNY college, "local community" is defined to mean anywhere within the five boroughs of New York City. Students who want to complete service in NJ, PA, CT, or a more extended region should consult with the Verrazano Office. For each student, at most one 10-hour service commitment outside the local community is allowed during his or her time in The Verrazano School.
All service for each academic year must be completed and approved by the final day of exams of the spring semester. Service for the senior year must be completed by November 1st for January graduates and March 1st for June and August graduates.
Steps to completing community service:
- Identify an organization where you would like to do community service.
- Inquire with the Verrazano office if you have any questions about whether the service hours you plan to complete with the organization are likely to be approved.
- If applicable, complete any necessary paperwork with the organization in order to begin service hours.
- Submit the Community Service Verification Form within one month after completing the service hours that you would like to be counted toward your Verrazano service requirement.
Approval of all service hours will be determined by the Verrazano administrators. Students are encouraged to consult with the Verrazano Office if they have questions or concerns about how to fulfill the service requirement.
Verrazano Community Service Guidelines
COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS
Guidelines for Acceptable Hours
- Coordination of fundraising activities for non-profit organizations and services such as day care centers, retirement homes, animal hospitals, or nature parks will count as community service.
- In general, hours spent coaching youth sports will count as community service.
- Tutoring provided at non-profit schools or organizations will count as community service.
- Services performed on staff at non-profit camps for no financial compensation will count as community service.
- An unpaid, non-credited internship that takes place at a non-profit organization will count as community service.
- Students are encouraged to combine their personal skills and interest with their service requirements.
- Students are encouraged to make a more substantial commitment to at least one organization rather than a series of one-time events. Examples of these commitments include tutoring at an elementary or high school, facilitating a reading group at a library, volunteering at a botanical garden, leading activities for elderly residents at a nursing home or hospital, and serving meals at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
Limitations on Community Service Hours
- Service completed for a for-profit organization will not be considered community service.
- Volunteer work on political campaigns will not be considered community service
- Volunteer work done solely to promote a particular religious point of view will not be considered community service. For example, teaching Sunday School will not be considered as service hours. Activities through a religious organization must be service to a broader community, such as work at a soup kitchen or a park clean-up, in order to receive service credit.
- Students involved in an academic course with a service-learning component may not receive community service hours for their work since they are already receiving academic credit for the course.
- Participation in charitable fundraising walkathons, runs, and other events of this nature will generally not be considered as community service.
CAMPUS COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS
Guidelines for Acceptable Hours
- Qualified hours must serve campus-wide needs without financial compensation.
- Examples of acceptable campus service include assistance at the Undergraduate Research Conference, Fall Festival, or special assistance with other designated events.
- Participation as an unpaid mentor to other students will count as campus community service.
Limitations on Campus Community Service Hours
- Activities serving the interests of an individual or student organization or athletic team, or participation in most extracurricular activities (e.g., a theatrical production, holding office in Student Government) ordinarily does not count as campus community service.
Final approval of all service hours will be determined by the Verrazano administrators. Students are encouraged to consult with the Verrazano Office if they have questions or concerns about how to fulfill the service requirement.
Searchable Links for Community Service Opportunities in NYC
