Civic Engagement, Sustainability, & Environmental Justice
Wesleyan's Sustainability Office is part of the Bailey College of the Environment, which was created with a belief in the resilience of the human spirit and a desire to develop a long-term vision of human and ecosystem health. Learn more about how to get involved in the Middletown community and beyond in sustainability and environmental justice work below.
Sustainable Middletown Initiatives
Since 2017, the City of Middletown has participated in the statewide Sustainable CT initiative; since 2018, Sustainable Middletown Interns have collaborated with the City's volunteer-led Sustainable Middletown team and City employees to expand and enhance City-wide sustainability efforts.- Participate in Local Government
The Middletown Government Guide was developed in collaboration between the Wesleyan Sustainability Office and the Sustainable Middletown Team with the goal of demystifying the process of getting involved in local government. It helps Wesleyan students and the broader Middletown community to figure out where to start, how to participate in meetings, and how to sustain long-term involvement.
The Guide is meant to address the misconceptions or gaps in information that keep people from participating in local government, with particular concern to those disadvantaged by that lack of information, and was developed with input from Middletown residents, City staff, and Wesleyan community members.
- Lead with Cultivating Justice
Cultivating Justice is a youth-led organization meeting community-identified needs around food security, land access, environmental justice, civic engagement, power building, and pathways towards agriculture for people underrepresented in Connecticut's farming community. CJ's goal is to nurture Connecticut's next generation of farmers of color. Learn more and get involved at cultivatingjusticect.com.
Allbritton Center Opportunities
The Allbritton Center provides many opportunities for students to engage with the community, reflect and integrate their experiences into their coursework, and develop their social entrepreneurial skills.- Volunteer with the Jewett Center
The Jewett Center for Community Partnerships (JCCP) offers volunteer and work-study opportunities to build and strengthen community. Before getting involved in community service or civic engagement, review the Cardinal Community Commitment.
The JCCP has 22 student-run volunteer programs in a variety of areas, including some focused on sustainability and environmental justice. These programs vary in level of commitment, with most being a weekly commitment. We strongly encourage longer-term commitments to help foster stronger connections with our community members.
- Take a Course
A wide array of courses are offered through the Center for the Study of Public Life each semester. In addition, students can select from a range of service-learning (Community-Engaged Learning) courses across Wesleyan’s three academic divisions, organized through the Office of Community-Engaged Learning. Several courses in the Sustainability & Environmental Justice Course Cluster include civic engagement components, too.
Civic Engagement Practice (CSPL 120) brings together the ever-growing and evolving community of students at Wesleyan who are invested in civic engagement to:
- Bolster student civic knowledge of government, history and culture, and current events.
- Bolster content knowledge across Allbritton focus areas, functional knowledge of the issues partners and community stakeholders seek to confront through programming, advocacy, education, or other means.
- Build analytic, communication, media literacy, time and task management skills, and others so critical to engaging effectively.
- Further develop civic identities to support students as they make sense of how to situate their experiences and beliefs within broader histories, and social and political contexts.
Want to go further? The Civic Engagement Certificate allows you to integrate academic work in civic engagement with volunteer experiences and a community practicum.
- Become a Changemaker
Are you interested in developing a program, business, or organization that contributes to the public good? You can receive support, grants, and training through the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship.
Student Groups
Several Wesleyan student groups engage with the Middletown community on sustainability and environmental justice issues, including Bread Salvage, Citizens' Climate Lobby - Wesleyan, Cultivating Justice - Wesleyan, Food Rescue, Habitat for Humanity, Long Lane Farm, Sunrise Wesleyan, and WesNEAT.