YSU Office of Community Engagement

Students in the YSU Explore program spent some time Wednesday morning on Campus hiding 3D Penguins. If you find a penguin share your picture here with us and where you found it.

Looking for a fun and meaningful way to earn your volunteer hours this summer? ☀️🎨

Join the Summer Crafting Club at Boardman Park and turn your creativity into something impactful! Work with a small group of kids (ages 7–11), help bring imaginative projects to life, and make lasting memories along the way. It’s a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience while giving back to the community.

🗓 Volunteer Dates:
June 1–5, June 8–12, June 15–19, June 22–26, June 29–July 2, July 6–10, July 13–17, July 20–24, July 27–31, August 3–7, August 10–14, August 17–21

⏰ Time: 11 AM – 1 PM (2 volunteers needed per day)

✨ Reminder: Honors students are required to complete 60 volunteer hours each year—summer is the perfect time to get ahead while doing something fun and rewarding!

Sign up today:
https://ysu.givepulse.com/event/873951-summer-crafting-club

Last week’s Community Engagement Symposium was an inspiring celebration of connection, collaboration, and impact ✨

Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the event so meaningful, and a special thank you to our presenters for sharing your time, insights, and important work with our community. We’re grateful to learn and grow together! 💫

YSU is proud to be recognized with the Carnegie Community Engagement Distinction! 🌟

In a course examining the causes and consequences of poverty in the United States, students partner with Dorothy Day House in Youngstown, volunteering to serve meals to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Through research, community presentations, and hands-on service, students gain a deeper understanding of poverty and its impact on local communities. 🍽️💙

This experience reflects mutual benefit—students apply classroom knowledge in a real-world context while supporting Dorothy Day House in meeting critical community needs. Faculty and community partners note how these engagements enrich teaching, learning, and the services provided to those in need.

📢 Stay tuned! Over the next few months, we’ll be featuring more exemplars of YSU’s Carnegie-recognized community engagement projects, highlighting the meaningful impact of our students, faculty, and community partners locally and globally. 🌍🤝

Join us at the YSU Community Engagement Symposium! 💜

📌 Making Room for Grief: An Interactive Community-Based Experience of Loss and Meaning

📅 Friday, April 10th
⏰ 1:00–1:50 PM
📍 Williamson Hall

Come hear from presenter Amy Zell as she shares Making Room for Grief, an interactive, community-based experience designed to support individuals navigating loss.
Using design thinking and Maker Empowerment Theory, the Maker program helps participants better understand and embrace grief while moving forward in their healing journeys. This experience is open to anyone facing loss or seeking to better support others who are grieving.

💜💬 This session is just one example of the impactful community engagement work featured throughout the symposium.

👉 Explore the full schedule and join us for a day of connection, learning, and impact: ysu.edu/CES2026

Join us at the YSU Community Engagement Symposium! 🌱

📌 Nature-based Solutions to the Climate Crisis

📅 Friday, April 10th
⏰ 1:00–1:50 PM
📍 Williamson Hall

Hear from presenters Brittain Bosela, Brynn Pinter, Lauren Schroeder, Catherine Cala, Colleen McLean, and Steve Hanzely as they highlight YSU Legacy Forests, an initiative making a lasting environmental impact in the Mahoning Valley.

Established in 2020, YSU Legacy Forests plants micro-forests to reduce carbon dioxide while providing benefits like erosion control, improved water quality, and wildlife habitat. By engaging students, alumni, and community partners, the program fosters environmental stewardship and plants approximately 1,800 native trees each year.

🌱💬 This session is just one example of the impactful community engagement work featured throughout the symposium.

👉 Explore the full schedule and join us for a day of connection, learning, and impact: ysu.edu/CES2026

Join us at the YSU Community Engagement Symposium! 🥗

📌 Beyond Health Outcomes: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change in Action: Social Return on Investment of the Guin Fit Initiative

📅 Friday, April 10th
⏰ 1:00–1:50 PM
📍 Williamson Hall

Come hear from presenters Nicolette Powe, Richard Rogers, Jeanine Mincher, Weiqing Ge, and Kelley Frazier as they explore the impact of the Guin Fit Initiative in Youngstown.
This initiative addresses obesity, food insecurity, and cardiometabolic disparities through evidence-based programs, policy change, and community leadership. In partnership with MPH 6905, the team conducted a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis demonstrating health, economic, and social benefits—providing actionable evidence to support sustainability, policy advocacy, and equitable nutrition interventions.

🥗💬 This session is just one example of the impactful community engagement work featured throughout the symposium.

👉 Explore the full schedule and join us for a day of connection, learning, and impact: ysu.edu/CES2026

Join us at the YSU Community Engagement Symposium! 🩺

📌 Penguin POP UP (Penguins Offering Primary/Secondary Prevention to Underserved Populations)

📅 Friday, April 10th
⏰ 1:00–1:50 PM
📍 Williamson Hall

Come hear from presenters Amy Weaver and Ryane Garono as they share Penguin POP UP, an innovative mobile wellness clinic designed as a community-engaged learning experience for nursing students.

In response to the growing older adult population and limited access to mobile clinics in the Mahoning Valley, this initiative delivered free, evidence-based preventive services directly to underserved seniors. In partnership with the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority, nursing students provided screenings and education to improve access, reduce health disparities, and promote healthier communities.

🩺💬 This session is just one example of the impactful community engagement work featured throughout the symposium.

👉 Explore the full schedule and join us for a day of connection, learning, and impact: ysu.edu/CES2026

YSU is honored to receive the Carnegie Community Engagement Distinction! 🌟

Through an 8-year partnership with the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley and the Youngstown City Health District, YSU nursing students conduct vision screenings for K-12 students across the Mahoning Valley. This service identifies vision problems early, connects students to free glasses, and supports school nurses, while giving nursing students valuable hands-on experience in community health. 👓💙

This project reflects mutual benefit—students apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings and learn to collaborate with local and state health partners, while the community gains access to critical health services that improve academic performance and well-being.

📢 Stay tuned! Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting more exemplars of YSU’s Carnegie-recognized community engagement projects, showcasing the meaningful impact of our students, faculty, and community partners locally and globally. 🌍🤝