The Middletown Government Participation Guide was developed in collaboration between the Wesleyan Sustainability Office and the Middletown Sustainability 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's Jewett Center for Community Partnerships. 

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 18 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.

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.