GPS Fall Communityfest and Days of Service

GPS Communityfest and Days of Service

The Gateway Program Seminar (GPS) is an academic program designed to help students successfully adjust to university life at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS). GPS serves as the foundation for the Compass Curriculum, the campus-wide general education program at UCCS.  Through GPS, students are exposed to an interdisciplinary curriculum taught by experienced faculty from across campus and Colorado Springs, to establish meaningful connections, cultivate an inclusive community, and create a sense of belonging, beginning with their first year at UCCS and beyond.

As part of their program requirements, students in GPS must complete a 3-hour service-learning project that explores civic discourse, ethics, leadership, and/or volunteerism. Beginning in fall 2024, GPS and UCCSlead, will collaborate to create a more streamlined service-learning experience. 

Gateway Days is an immersive experience designed to provide first-year students at UCCS with access to classes, resources, and activities at UCCS. It is required for most GPS courses, and the two-day event counts as four weeks of instructional time. Approximately 1,600 students attend Gateway Days, participating in events, activities, and classes, designed to introduce them to the UCCS campus and Colorado Springs area.

Communityfest will be an opportunity for students and faculty to learn more about fall 2024 service-learning opportunities, by visiting 12 organization partners, who will promote available volunteer projects at UCCSLead Days of Service.  Additionally, local businesses and organizations will also be invited to attend Communityfest and promote services for UCCS students in the Colorado Springs area.

UCCSLead Days of Service encourages student participation in community engagement and activism by volunteering in service-learning projects that benefit and connect to the broader Colorado Springs community. This year, UCCS is hosting an upscaled version of Days of Service complete with media coverage, press releases, and features in the Communique and UCCS websites and social media sites. These events are open to all UCCS students but will partner with GPS to create additional service-learning opportunities for first-year students.

Students will select a Days of Service: September 14th or October 19th, and will be transported to one of six partner locations, in the Colorado Springs area, to complete their 3-hour service-learning project. Each Days of Service will have unique partners and service-learning opportunities available for students to select from. At each Days of Service, students will also have the option to perform a service-learning project on the UCCS campus, if they desire to volunteer with a campus partner or stakeholder. 

GPS can provide organizations with students to complete needed volunteer service projects that can include a variety of tasks and or events. GPS is looking for service-learning projects that will provide students an immersive 3-hour volunteer opportunity, ideally for 50+ students. GPS will provide transportation, as needed for your organization or project site, project supplies (if applicable), and food.

For more information on how GPS can partner with your organization, please feel free to contact Omar Montoya, Faculty Director of GPS or Juliana Bigelow, Program Coordinator of GPS.