Scholar Shop

Want to address issues in your community but you're not sure where to start?

CCESL's Scholar Shop is a resource that can help you get started! Through Scholar Shop, CCESL aims to connect changemakers to pursue projects that are mutually beneficial. Scholar Shop is about people, the community and campus partners who form collaborative relationships.

 

What is Scholar Shop?

Different from traditional volunteering, CCESL's Scholar Shop is a resource that highlights organizations and groups interested in connecting with DU. Sometimes this takes the form of projects previously identified by community partners while other times this starts with an exploration of interest between campus and community individuals to identify synergies. Projects have included data analysis, research, and creative works spanning from education equity to civic engagement, to STEM access, and beyond. 

DU students, faculty, and staff can use Scholar Shop to connect with organizations and collaborate on projects that address community-identified interests and issues.

 

 

Please note: Scholar Shop projects are a different approach to community engagement than volunteering. There is currently no volunteer hub as DU is revamping the volunteer platform.

Explore Volunteer Opportunities

How to use Scholar Shop

Scholar Shop can be used to find and connect with community partners to fulfill requirements for programs (such as course sequences, capstones, theses, practicums, etc.) while collaborating on impactful work and gaining hands-on experience. 

 

How Does it Work

Whether you’re an organization, student, faculty or staff member, once you express interest in a Scholar Shop collaboration, we’ll work with you to fine-tune your project ideas, goals, and timeline. We'll then identify and connect you to those whose interests align and have relevant experience for the collaboration. Once a team has been "matched," the work can begin!

 

Getting Started

  • For Students

    Whether you’ve found an organization on the Community Partner List you’d like to connect with or you’re just exploring possibilities, send an email to ccesl@du.edu to get started. 

    Please Note: student-led projects are typically linked to an academic requirement and mentored by a faculty advisor

  • For Community Partners

    To begin, community partners complete a brief Scholar Shop Interest Form. Once received, we'll work with you to fine-tune project ideas and identify relevant students and faculty for potential collaboration. If this is your first time, we’ll create a profile for your organization on the Community Partner List which will be shared with and displayed to the DU community.

    Please note, Scholar Shop does not match organizations with volunteers to complete community service. If you are looking for student volunteers, please post on the University of Denver Volunteer Base instead.

  • For Faculty & Staff

    Whether you’re exploring collaboration possibilities, seeking community partners for your class, or you’ve found an organization on the Community Partner List you’d like to connect with, please send an email to ccesl@du.edu to get started.

 

Project Process

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    Planning the Project

    After you’ve been connected, in order to encourage careful planning in all collaborations, student-led Scholar Shop projects require the development of a Project Plan which includes a timeline and projected outcomes made in collaboration with those involved.   

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    Doing the Project

    Those involved are responsible for carrying out the project as planned. CCESL will check in periodically and can provide additional support based on project needs.

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    Monitoring Project Results & Impact

    At the close of each collaboration, the members must deliver the project or research to the community organization. We love to hear about successful Scholar Shop projects and highlight them in our monthly newsletter, the Public Good Impact blog! If you want to share your experience in a short blog post, we'd love to spotlight it. It also helps inspire future Scholar Shop collaborations.

Project Types

Below are the different categories Scholar Shop projects can encompass:

  • Creative/Artistic Work
  • Curriculum or Program Development/Revision
  • Exploration
    Interest in connecting broadly to explore synergistic interests with DU faculty/students
  • Grant Writing
  • Information Dissemination
    Data visualization, report writing, website/social media support

 

 

 

  • Literature Review
  • Policy Review/Analysis
  • Program Evaluation
    Design, implementation, and/or analysis
  • Research
    Design, data collection, and/or data analysis

Funding & Support

Community Partner Database

To see current community partners and projects, check out the Community Partner List below:

Contact

 

Angelica Ortiz, Outreach & Communications Coordinator

Note: All CCESL programs, including this one, undergo an antiracist, anti-oppression review at least annually. This year, changes were made to program materials and applications based on that review.