Connecting Changemakers through 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! DU students, faculty, and staff can connect with local organizations through Scholar Shop to collaborate on projects that address community-identified interests and issues.
Different from traditional volunteering, Scholar Shop collaborations are more academic in nature and can include data analysis, research, creative works, and more. Projects have ranged across focus areas, spanning from education equity to civic engagement, sustainability, STEM access, and beyond.
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.
Volunteer QuestionsHow 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
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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
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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.
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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
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 Scholar Shop Project Plan which includes a timeline and projected outcomes made in collaboration with those involved.
Doing the Project
Those involved are responsible for carrying out the project as planned. The Scholar Shop Coordinator will check in periodically and can provide additional support based on project needs.
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, so we encourage the community organization, student, and/or faculty member to submit a short 300-500 word article. It also greatly helps future Scholar Shop collaborations.
Funding & Support
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For Students
Students may apply for funding to support project-related costs through the Advancing Community-Engaged (ACE) Student Scholarship Grant. Applications are reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. Additionally, undergraduate students may be eligible to apply for funding from the Undergraduate Research Center (URC) through the Partners in Scholarship (PinS) program (see Undergraduate Research Center Funding Opportunities).
Students participating in Scholar Shop projects will have access to a variety of support to aid with successful completion of the project. For more information about this support, ask us!
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For Faculty
For faculty-led projects, faculty may be eligible to apply for the Public Good Fund (for faculty research and/or creative work) or Community-Engaged Teaching Funding Learning (for courses).
Need some inspiration?
Check out previous Scholar Shop projects:
