As the previous activity indicates, there are numerous different ways that one may choose to engage with their community. One is not necessarily better than the other, they each may appeal to us for any number of different reasons. One way to consider the different types of engagement, is to consider the Pathways to Public Service. Many of us want to engage with our communities and find ways to give back and/or push for social change. This model gives us a sense of what our options are, recognizing we all have different interests and skills. Read through the different pathways and consider which ones you already engage with or would like to engage with.

Graphic depicting the Pathways to Public Service with the differnt options organized around an illustrated Bucky. The pathways are direct service, policy and governance, community organizing and activism, philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, and community engaged learning and research

- - - Community Engaged Learning and Research: Connecting coursework and academic research to community-identified concerns to enrich knowledge and inform action on social issues.
    - Community Organizing and Activism: Involving, educating, and mobilizing individual or collective action to influence or persuade others.
    - Direct Service: Working to address the immediate needs of individuals or a community, often involving contact with the people or places being served.
    - Philanthropy: Donating or using private funds or charitable contributions from individuals or institutions to contribute to the public good.
    - Policy and Governance: Participating in political processes, policymaking, and public governance.
    - Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility: Using ethical business or private sector approaches to create or expand market-oriented responses to social or environmental problem

This model comes from Haas Center for Public Service