BYUSA, Y-Serve offers ways for students to serve year-round

The BYU Student Service Association and Y-Serve programs are providing ways for students to serve the community and socialize with others on campus year-round.

According to Y-Serve director Chris Crippen, Y-Serve offers around 70 different programs for students in the fall and winter semesters.

In the summer, Crippen said, students can still volunteer for over 30 different programs.

“We have things off campus with community action, food banks or some other programs with community cleanup. We are getting out in the sunshine and doing some good in our communities,” Crippen said.

Right now, volunteers are serving in smaller groups because there are fewer students on campus.

“We certainly have plenty of activity on campus with various conferences and workshops and things. That’s something I enjoy about spring and summer, is just the smaller, more intimate connections that can be made,” Crippen said.

Clubs are another great way students can engage with each other over the summer, according to BYUSA clubs coordinator Robyn Damon.

Over the summer there are around 25 different clubs that try and get together each week, according to Damon.

“The origami club as well as Jiu jitsu, racquetball, pickleball and tennis clubs are just a handful of the clubs that are meeting over the summer,” Damon said.

Besides the reduction in students, Damon thinks the hardest aspect of getting clubs to meet over the summer is not having the designated space in the Wilkinson Center.

“We aren’t able to have the Wilkinson Center in the spring and summer because of all of the youth camps and other things that are happening, so they still have to kind of schedule by the week,” Damon said.

Damon believes additional students will get involved if they are aware of the various resources about clubs that are available.

“We are actually working on a campaign to put some banners up across campus to let students know and then direct them to our BYUSA Club’s website,” Damon said.

BYUSA hosts several other events over the summer, including the Foundations of Leadership conference at Aspen Grove for incoming freshmen.

The event, which takes place in two sessions, will run from August 24-26 and August 28-30.

FOL is designed to help incoming freshmen feel more comfortable before the fall semester starts as they socialize with the upperclassman and student mentors, according to Student Connection and Leadership Center director Angela Blomquist.

“When they do come to campus and they walk across campus, they already know somebody that they can say hi to and that they can talk to for advice,” Blomquist said.

Additionally, on July 15 students can socialize at the Cougar Skate event hosted by the BYUSA activities department.

The event will take place in the WSC ballroom and will be available to all BYU students, as well as incoming freshmen.

The event is an opportunity for students to have fun over the summer as they prepare for the upcoming fall semester, according to Blomquist.

As students look for ways to engage with their community this summer, they will have a variety of opportunities for meaningful service and socialization all across campus.