Initiated in 2019, the Maverick Philanthropy Initiative allows students to participate firsthand in building community capacity through advocacy. To date, the Maverick Philanthropy Initiative has awarded $34,000 to community causes.
Maverick Philanthropy Initiative courses are designed to encourage an interest in philanthropy while educating students on the real-life impacts of giving. By offering a tangible benefit to a community partner that students discover, vet, and select together, the courses provide a unique and memorable service learning opportunity. Students in this type of class practice philanthropic giving and learn how it impacts community partners. These courses meet student learning outcomes related to course content, civic responsibility, and philanthropic giving practices. Each course uses the standards of quality service learning and partnership development while incorporating philanthropic giving into the premise of the course.
Student Philanthropy and Service Learning
The student philanthropy model is a form of service learning that links charitable giving with student voice and course instruction. Community organizations provide expertise on community-identified issues and serve as co-educators for the course service learning project. Through the service learning project, students gain an understanding of community assets and learn about community needs. This information, along with course content, helps inform student philanthropic decisions as they determine how to allocate their available grant funds.New Courses
The Service Learning Academy is interested in expanding the initiative to other courses across UNO as well as working with new community partners interested in student philanthropy.
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