Ten Ways To Make a Difference While at Duke

Here are some opportunities to make a positive impact in the local community

Photo of volunteers standing alongside a nearly-finished home they are building as volunteers with Habitat for Humanity are bui

On Saturday students arrived on Duke’s campus for the first time — starting their Duke journeys, where they will consider myriad possibilities for the future. Within that are a multitude of opportunities to make a difference in the local community right now. 

Here are just ten ways to get involved while at Duke:

1. Attend Duke’s annual Volunteer Fair Oct. 19, Penn Pavilion, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For nearly 50 years, through this event faculty, staff and students have signed up to work with community organizations that focus on issues such as climate change, human rights, wellness, social services and more.

2. Volunteer for service hours on the Partnership Platform.

3. Explore unique research opportunities with a Bass Connections program, where semester-long courses deploy an interdisciplinary, team-based approach to solving real-world problems.

4. Become a community-engaged intern or fellow, where you can be paired with a Durham non-profit to help accomplish its mission.

5. Sign up to be a math or reading tutor for Leap2School or America Reads American Counts.

6. Learn more about the City of Durham and Durham County by attending city council or county commissioner meetings.

7. Sign up for a + Program  — immersive, experiential learning opportunities across a wide range of disciplines, including technology, climate, creative arts, applied ethics, documentary studies, math and history.

8. Become a tour guide for School Days, an event for local students who would be the first in their families to attend college.

9. Promote arts education in local schools as a Mary Duke Biddle Arts Fellow.

10. Volunteer with Root Causes, a medical student organization that addresses social drivers of health. It delivers food twice a month to families facing food insecurity in the area.

Bonus: Durham, along with much of the state, is enduring a drought. The university’s Student Affairs Office of Sustainability shares valuable campuswide water saving tips.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Duke’s hometown of Durham offers many more opportunities to make a positive impact and expand your experiences with communities.