Serving others is woven into the entire fabric of the WPU experience including classes, athletics, residence life and more. You’ll find a number of co-curricular activities specifically devoted to helping you use your unique talents and gifts to make the world better for others, preparing you for a lifetime of meaningful servant-leadership.
What is Service Learning?
Service learning at Warner Pacific is work done to meet the tangible needs of our neighbors in the city of Portland and beyond. Our students are encouraged to engage in the University’s Christ-centered identity through utilizing their skills, passions and education to work toward social justice through consistent direct service in the community.
All service is done through curricular and co-curricular collaborative service opportunities and facilitated reflection specifically focused on these eight categories:
- Compassion
- Ecological Justice
- Economic Equity
- Gender Equity
- Interfaith Relationship
- Racial/Ethnic Equity
- Support for the Elderly & Disabled
- Youth & Child Support
Local Connect
Warner Pacific’s Local Connect program links students to meaningful local, long-term service opportunities that align with your unique skill set and interests. We believe that civic engagement empowers students to develop and apply their educational skills outside of the classroom in a practical environment, and that networking locally gains real-world experience effectively working toward lasting positive social change.
What you get by joining Local Connect:
- Individualized assistance in connecting you to meaningful service that meets your skills and interests
- Details about local non-profit organizations
- Assistance with completing volunteer applications for local non-profits
- Information about upcoming volunteer training in the Portland area
- Specifics about upcoming service opportunities in the Portland area
- Assistance incorporating service into your resume
- Regular awards and recognition for consistent service
- Completed Service Hours
Each student is required to personally log all of the completed service hours using the online form. A separate form will need to be completed for each service project. Service projects must be completed during the semester in which they are submitted.
Projects done over the Summer of Winter breaks will not count for credits in the Fall or Spring semesters. Service hours must meet the qualifications of Service Learning at Warner Pacific in order to be accepted towards your overall service requirement.
To qualify for your service hour requirement, completed service must:
- Meet a tangible need for our neighbors in or around the city of Portland
- Must partner with a non-profit organization or agency
- Directly addresses one of the eight service categories
- Residential Students: Complete 10 hours of service
- Commuter Students: Minimum 5 hours of service (can do more to complete combination of 25 faith & service hours)
Please note: It is highly encouraged that you log any completed service hours above and beyond your required amount. In addition, internships may qualify toward your service hour requirement if they adhere to the requirements of what qualifies as “service” at WP.