For many students, consumed by papers, labs and the lurking giant, MSE itself, it is easy to forget that we are attending school in a vibrant, diverse city of over 600,000 people. When was the last time you saw a part of Baltimore other than Hopkins' red brick and marble and its surrounding Charles Village streets?
One office on campus, the Center for Social Concern (CSC), tries to bridge the distance that exists between Hopkins and the Baltimore community. The mission of the Center is to emphasize "the concept of service with others, rather than the commonly accepted concept of service to others."
The CSC uses funds from the France-Merrick Undergraduate Community Service Fund to finance various groups that engage in primarily one-on-one service initiatives in the Baltimore community. The Center originally existed as part of the University chaplaincy office, but has been independent since 1992. The office, located above the Pura Vida Caf8e in Levering Hall, is worth a visit for the amazing mural that covers its walls alone, but is also home to over 45 different community service groups, ranging from the American Cancer Society to the Therapeutic Riding of Hopkins, which helps children with disabilities through the use of horseback riding.
The largest and oldest group funded by the Center for Social Concern is the Johns Hopkins Tutorial Project, which provides tutoring to approximately 100 Baltimore City elementary school students each year. Help is offered in reading, math and geography. Students are transported to the Homewood Campus twice a week, either by bus or by their families. The Tutorial Project emphasizes the one-on-one setting that is such an integral part of all Center for Social Concern programs. Every child is assigned a student tutor, who is in turn trained by professional educators.
Another group in the CSC is Education Perspectives, an organization that aims to teach immigrants and underprivileged sections of the world about basic health education. In addition to traveling to numerous countries over the summer, last year the group visited a school within Baltimore and taught Bosnian refugees about public health in the United States and elsewhere.
"Working in the school was really enlightening," sophomore Becky Hauss said. "It never occurred to me that someone wouldn't know that dishwasher soap was poisonous or that you should call 911 in an emergency. The school was so happy to have us there."
One of the most integral parts of the Center for Social Concern is the Student Advisory Board (SAB). Made up of students of various ages with significant volunteer experience, they work with group leaders and the groups themselves on things such as recruitment and the planning of events. They also organize various activities such as a retreat for all the group leaders, Volunteer Awareness Week, which happens in February, and the Chocolate Festival, a charity event that will take place on campus in the spring.
The Center for Social Concern serves as an umbrella organization, supporting both individual and group projects.
"We work with volunteer groups so that they can accomplish their goals for service in Baltimore," Ramya Srinivasan, a member of the SAB, said.
The programs offered by the Center don't just help the community; they educate students in a way they could never learn in a classroom.
