Social Justice Issues Workshop Fundraisers Benefit At-Risk Youth

March 21, 2014

By Shelbby Bambrick 

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Every year, College Ten’s two-credit course, CLTE85: Social Justice Issues Workshop, works closely with a local nonprofit organization, raising awareness about a social issue and collecting monetary donations towards the specific cause. This year, the CLTE 85 students worked with Encompass Community Services and their Transition Age Youth Programs, serving youth ages 15-24 in Santa Cruz County who have been in the foster care system and are thus at high risk for homelessness. The CLTE 85 courses, which are facilitated by student instructors, provide students with the opportunity to explore social issues through experiential and dialogue-based learning. During the course, students discuss various topics such as identity, privilege, oppression, immigration, and in particular this year’s topic of homelessness.

Throughout the quarter, students worked to organize fundraising events that would both create more awareness on campus about the issues of youth homelessness while also generating donations. Students held various fundraising efforts, along with two large events: the Houseless Blues: Open Mic Night and the Grill to Give Barbecue and Carnival. Students provided attendees with information regarding homelessness, both in Santa Cruz County and nationwide, and the particular ways in which it affects youth. Altogether, the CLTE 85 students raised over $1,000 for the Transition Age Youth Programs to provide support for current and former foster youth in making a healthy transition into adulthood. Marina Gonzales Flores, a third-year College Ten student and the Social Justice and Community CoCurricular Programs Intern who coordinated the course this year with Wendy Baxter, said “the students accomplished more than just fundraising a couple of dollars; they succesfully created dialogues and conversations about social change." 

CLTE 85: Social Justice Issues Workshop is an annual winter course, with priority enrollment given to College Ten students. If you are interested in applying to be a student instructor for Winter 2015, please contact Wendy Baxter at wbaxter@ucsc.edu in the fall. 

For more information regarding classes through the CoCurricular Programs Office, please visit: http://collegeten.ucsc.edu/cocurricular/coco/classes.html.

For more information on Encompass Community Services, please visit: http://www.encompasscs.org.