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students looking at mural

Aquetza

Aquetza is a free, one-week summer residential program on the Campus of CU Boulder that provides high school students with strong ties to Chicano/Latino communities from across Colorado with an interactive, academic enrichment experience focused on engaging Chican@/Latin@ youth in examining the history, literature, health science, and relevant social and political issues surrounding their cultural communities, through rigorous academic work in ethnic studies, writing, reading, and science.

Students around a table in dialogue

CU Dialogues Program

The CU Dialogues Program engages diverse groups within the University in honest conversation with one another through facilitated dialogues in CU classes and other campus settings that:

  • encourage open sharing of multiple perspectives;
  • create experiential learning opportunities that reinforce course content across a range of disciplines;
  • generate critical thinking as participants address complex issues;
  • provide simultaneous translation as needed.
Graduate students under building arch

Graduate Fellowship in Community-Based Research

This fellowship is designed for a cohort of 4-6 PhD students; students from all academic departments at CU Boulder are eligible to participate. The purpose is to train a generation of scholars in the practices and principles of community-based research (CBR).

Students in front of mural

INVST Community Studies

The 2-Year INVST Program offers community-based learning for eco-social transformation. Through a combination of critical theory studies, concrete skill-building, and community internships, CU Boulder students learn to be effective and responsible community leaders. We offer:

  • Small, cohort-based classes
  • Internships in the community
  • Summer hands-on learning
  • Mentorship and guidance during time at CU and beyond
Student leading instructor on blindfolded walk trust building activity

Leadership & Community Engagement Major (LDCE)

Earn a BA in Leadership & Community Engagement

  • A close-knit learning community, where you will receive personal support and experience small classes with the same group of classmates throughout your college experience
  • Community-based learning opportunities in each year of study
  • Focus on social justice.
  • Advanced coursework in community-based research methods and learning sciences.
  • The dual degree program, which allows you to combine your Leadership and Community Engagement Major with select majors from the College of Arts and Sciences.
Students at poster presentation

Leadership Studies Minor

The Leadership Studies Minor (LSM) enables you to develop as a leader. Whether you plan to lead a start-up, be a community organizer, found a non-profit, serve in the military, or run for office, one common ingredient is leadership. We in the LSM seek students from all walks of life and all majors.

We seek students who are curious about what the academic research says about leadership and who want to practice leadership as a CU student. You might not think of yourself as a “leader” right now, but by pursuing the LSM you will learn new ways to think about leadership and discover your own leadership strengths. If you already have a track record of leadership, this is a place to broaden your understanding and deepen your skills. 

Students walking outside on campus

Multicultural Leadership Scholars (MLS)

Open to all majors across campus, MLS is based on a social justice approach, with coursework that emphasizes the hallmarks of contemporary leadership practice: building community, collaboration, ethical reflection, respect, and valuing diversity. Classes are small, welcoming, and inclusive; students will develop a sense of belonging and a home on a large campus. Students form a community as a cohort of scholars and scholarship recipients.

Students presenting on stage in full auditorium

Public Achievement (PA)

Rooted in cooperative team action, PA engages participants in solutions-based analysis and action to address youth-identified social issues, posit an alternative approach to politics, and provide experiential educational opportunities. PA students collaborate with CU Boulder undergraduate student "coaches" to design, implement, and undertake community-based projects that address social issues that express their values and beliefs. In addition to its youth leadership and civic engagement goals for K-12 students, PA provides CU Boulder undergraduates with a meaningful and structured opportunity to develop facilitation and instruction skills and apply political theory to democratic projects in school-based settings.

Puksta Scholars

Puksta Scholars

Puksta Scholars is a competitive scholarship program open to CU Boulder undergraduate students.  Each year, a small cohort of students are awarded the scholarship with the explicit purpose to serve as catalysts for positive change on campus and in our local, national and international communities.

Students presenting powerpoint

Student Worker Alliance Program

The Student Worker Alliance Program (SWAP) is a grassroots, student-run, and dynamic program that is committed to cross-cultural engagement, mutual empowerment, skills acquisition, and solidarity in addressing inequality. SWAP seeks to convene systematically divided campus sectors to share a common learning and cultural experience.

In practice, CU Boulder undergraduates provide free and convenient English language classes to predominantly immigrant University employees who hold under-appreciated yet indispensable positions on campus and in the community. Participating students receive interactive and culturally informative trainings volunteers, preparing them to teach one-on-one or small group English classes. SWAP operates through the support of an evolving organizing committee, part-time student staff positions and an expansive volunteer network. 

Student in auditorium with face blurred out

Youth Participatory Action Research

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is an approach to enquiry which has been used since the 1940s. It involves researchers and participants working together to understand a problematic situation and change it for the better. There are many definitions of the approach, which share some common elements. PAR focuses on social change that promotes democracy and challenges inequality. PAR uses a range of different methods, both qualitative and quantitative.