If you have a desire to do good and make a difference, you can get hands-on experience and serve your community through paid public service with the Empire State Service Corps.
Participating SUNY students engage in paid public service work for 300 hours over the course of a year. Assignments could include tutoring in high-need K-12 schools, taking climate action working with leading State agencies, disaster relief and mitigation after severe weather events, working as a student success coach with an organization, and support for regional food banks and SNAP outreach to address food insecurity.
These opportunities allow New York students to be paid for meaningful work that can provide lifelong skills as well as service to their community.
"Through this initiative, we are providing paid service opportunities to SUNY students while doing the critical work of reconnecting our communities and grounding ourselves in our shared humanity. This is how we show up for one another and move our state forward."
― Lieutenant Gov. Antonio Delgado
The Empire State Service Corps will focus on different types of work on campus or in the community:
Students will partner with local school districts for regular tutoring sessions to support recovery from pandemic-era learning loss.
Students will serve on-campus supporting students with SNAP outreach as well as basic needs support (including shifts at the campus food pantry)
Available on select campuses, students will be trained to serve as peer mental health educators.
Students will serve in campus roles, with local nonprofits and with state agencies, on sustainability work such as recycling campaigns, tree planting, pollinator gardens, sustainability outreach.
Students will serve with local nonprofits focused on ending hate and bias in the community.
Students will serve with local nonprofits on civic engagement, including nonpartisan voter outreach.
Students will serve in local communities and visit local high schools and work on campus to support students in completing the FAFSA.
