Dear Graduates, Community Engagement Looks Different Now

You had a powerful community engagement experience (or experiences). As you walk across the graduation stage to receive your diploma, you’re probably asking yourself does it have to be over? No, but it will look different. You can and should find ways to stay engaged in your program and the Movement.

Chances are your participation in your community engagement program caused some sort of mindset or lifestyle shift. You made lifelong friendships, developed a deeper knowledge of social issues, got outside of what was once comfortable, or even came to understand that the game Flash is appropriate for any social situation.

If you’ve had an experience like this, you know it’s valuable and that community engagement experiences should be an opportunity available to any (and every) student.

As alumni, we now have the chance to support other current and future participants in new, creative ways. Maybe it’s donating to your alma mater's program (or the Movement) or showing your support on social media. It could even be hosting a future group for dinner when they’re in your city, offering to be a guest speaker at a pre-trip meeting, or staying in touch with your friend’s at Break Away (that’s us!).

More than that, know you’re not alone. If you have tried to describe how much a community engagement experience meant to you, at some point, you’ve likely found yourself at a loss for words. Well, the good news is, there are thousands of community engagement program alumni who know almost exactly how you feel. Just because you aren’t going on another experience, doesn’t mean you won’t identify with community engagement. You now share an identity with thousands of other graduates who are, like you, lifelong breakers and active citizens.

So friends, we offer you our congratulations and invite you to join us in the ongoing process of supporting alternative breaks and actualizing active citizenship.