CLS Programs and Projects
Leadership Programs
Gatorship
Gatorship is a unique leadership experience for both emerging and experienced student leaders at the University of Florida. It is designed to be an intense and thought-provoking weekend retreat where over 60 participants and student staff have the opportunity to interact through team building activities and group discussions. The focus is to identify current leadership issues in a multicultural society both at the University of Florida and in the community. Participants will engage in educational sessions and serve as peer educators through the sharing of personal experience.
LeaderShape
LeaderShape is an advanced, ethics-based leadership development experience for young adults. More than 24,000 participants from over 500 different colleges, universities, corporations, and organizations across America have graduated from the program. The purpose of The LeaderShape Institute is to produce a breakthrough in the leadership capabilities and potential of participants. Our commitment to you is that after attending The LeaderShape Institute, you will have: Increased your commitment to acting consistently with your core ethical values, personal values, and convictions, Enhanced your capability to develop and enrich relationships as well as strengthen your commitment to respecting the dignity and contributions of all people, Embraced the belief in a “healthy disregard for the impossible,” and Developed the capability to produce extraordinary results.
LeadUF
LeadUF is a student run organization whose members are trained presenters in leadership theory and styles. Annually, LeadUF hosts a fall and spring leadership conference. Any campus organization may request LeadUF services to plan and present a customized workshop for developing their members’ leadership and diversity knowledge. LeadUF also hold GILD, an annual leadership conference.
Matthews Society
The Matthews Society is a group of elite student leaders who through the Dean of Students Office have pledged to continue their service to our community. While membership to the Society is closed and recruited through nominations only, you can use the services that they provide for you. They offer both a Speaker’s Bureau and “The Society Mentoring” to UF students.
Women's Leadership Council
The Women's Leadership Council is a diverse group of student leaders at the University of Florida whose mission is to empower women with the resources and the skills that prepare them to lead in the diverse and ever-changing settings of the 21st century. Located in the dean of Student’s Office, the Women’s Leadership Council designs specific programs that provide women with peer support, role models and educational programs that will help them to develop a sense of self. The Women’s Leadership Council strives to promote the development and recognition of women’s leadership for a stronger society and a better world by: Establishing a network that unites University of Florida women with the campus community, Promoting an open and accepting campus environment to help establish a tradition of women’s leadership, and Equipping women with the skills necessary to achieve their goals and encouraging them to embrace the challenge of leadership.
Service Programs
After School Gators
ASG is a service organization working with at-risk elementary school children in the after school programs. Over 100 volunteers create fun activities for the students in local schools.
Florida Alternative Breaks
FAB’s mission is to create active citizens through a year-long commitment
to community service, leadership and social change. In participating in social
change education and projects both locally during the year and regionally during
spring break, students gain the opportunity to immerse themselves in a particular
social issue. Through FAB’s unique conditions of volunteerism and reflection,
we seek to heighten social awareness, advocate for and foster life-long social
action while building friendships along the way.
Gator Non-Profit Professionals
The Gator Non-Profit Professionals work to educate, recruit, prepare and place students in meaningful careers within the Nonprofit sector. We hold lectures, presentations and opportunities for student to learn about who they are and how they can use their skills to work in the Nonprofit sector. We also have community service projects for students to develop a servant-leader mentality and learn more about the inner workings of the Nonprofit sector. Leadership Opportunities help them to know how to lead effectively. GNP also helps to provide a bridge between the Gainesville Nonprofit community and UF students.
Gator Teens
The objective of the GatorTeens Mentors is to develop the leadership of young people and to provide a means by which they can commit their energy and enthusiasm to improving the quality of life in our community. The GatorTeens Youth Program is a service-learning initiative established in 1999 to promote youth volunteerism and assist students in fulfilling classroom and/or college scholarship requirements. It is open to any teens in grades 6-12 that live in Alachua County and are enrolled in public, private or alternative middle or high school. It is the responsibility of the Mentors to empower the youth to identify community needs, develop creative solutions, and implement projects to improve the well-being of the community. The Mentors educate area teenagers on the value of volunteering by working one-on-one with them in the design and implementation of service projects.
Project MASCOT
Project MASCOT (Mentoring Alliance: Students and Communities Outreaching Together) is a program for University of Florida student volunteers interested in helping and motivating elementary school children in the Gainesville area. The program matches UF student volunteers with students at local elementary students for one-on-one mentoring. The year culminates with a trip to a theme park in Orlando with all mentors and mentees.
Service Ambassadors
Service Ambassadors constantly work to promote active citizenship among University of Florida students as well as the surrounding community. They plan events that educate citizens about prevalent issues in order to remind individuals of their civic responsibility and to inform them of the opportunities available to those who choose to make a difference. Members serve as the ambassadors of community service by unifying those involved in volunteerism and presenting individuals with ways to bring their service to the next level.
Service Learning Fellows
Service learning is the practice of bringing volunteerism to the classroom, benefiting both the student and the volunteer agency. A director who is responsible for the coordination and direction of volunteer education for UF students heads the Service Learning branch. The director works with a committee to produce present about service learning in the classroom, maintain a close interaction with faculty and staff across learning disciplines, and work with local volunteer agencies.
SOAR at Howard Bishop
The SOAR Program is a unique partnership between the University of Florida and Howard Bishop Middle School. The program offers the unique chance for members to become a positive role model in the life of an at-risk middle school student. Participants tutor and/or mentor at all grade levels through a year long mentorship which concludes with an on-campus visit.
CLS Projects
Long Term
Weeks, Months, and Days
The Center for Leadership and Service organizes several large scale annual programs that range from one day events to week or month long programs. Some examples include Gator Plunge, Make a Difference Day, Service in the Swamp Week, and Raise Your Voice Month. These programs often provide outlets for specific campus needs such as outreach to a particular segment on campus, response to a prevalent social issue, or connecting the campus with state or national service initiatives.
Short Term
Challenge Day
Challenge Day is an award-winning experiential program that helps teens and
the separation and alienation they feel. The program inspires participants to
live, study, and work in an environment of compassion, acceptance, and respect.
By promoting self-acceptance and respect for others, the Challenge Day programs
help to ignite participants’ passions and inspire them to take their positions
as positive leaders of change.
Application for Center for Leadership & Service Challenge Day Committee
Winter Food Baskets/Bags
Each year for the Holidays, the CLS puts together baskets with non-perishable goods for lower-income children in Gainesville. Volunteers are needed to put together the baskets and disperse them to children in need.
Wish Upon a Star
During the Holiday season, the CLS and the Partnership for Stronger Families work together to gather toys for local children. Donations are taken from local businesses and organizations. Volunteers are needed to gather donations and make at least one wish come true for the children of Gainesville.