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Leadership Development & Community Engagement

Pursuing justice & equity through students’ leadership development & engagement in the community

Welcome to Leadership Development & Community Engagement! We pursue justice & equity through students’ leadership development and engagement in the community. We develop sustained partnerships on campus and in the community that advance student learning, transformation, and commitment for a just, equitable, and sustainable world. 

Community Engagement

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Northwestern and local Evanston/Chicago community organizations offer many ways for you to be involved in building a more just and equitable world Chart your course using some of these campus and community resource links.

Neighbor2Neighbor

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The neighbor2neighbor (n2n) initiative promotes learning and service rooted in the local community. Just two miles south of Northwestern’s campus is the beautiful community of Rogers Park. Rogers Park is considered one of the most culturally and socio-economically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago.

Learning Outcomes & Strategic Plan

Learning Outcomes

Students who engage in programs, activities and services provided by Campus Life will [or will be able to]...

  • Identify personal interests, values, strengths, and identities and use these attributes to positively shape their communities at Northwestern and beyond. (Personal Development, Interpersonal Competence, Social Responsibility, Cognitive and Practical Skills)
  • Hone leadership and relationship-building skills and apply them to strengthen their organizations and communities at Northwestern and beyond. (Interpersonal Competence)
  • Articulate how their co-curricular involvement integrates with their personal and professional goals. (Personal Development, Social Responsibility)
Strategic Plan

Campus Life recently published a strategic plan to frame the work of the three areas within its unit:

Land Acknowledgement

Northwestern is a community of learners situated within a network of historical and contemporary relationships with Native American tribes, communities, parents, students, and alumni. It is also in close proximity to an urban Native American community in Chicago and near several tribes in the Midwest.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa. It was also a site of trade, travel, gathering and healing for more than a dozen other Native tribes and is still home to over 100,000 tribal members in the state of Illinois.

Our Commitment

It is within Northwestern's responsibility as an academic institution to disseminate knowledge about Native peoples and the institution's history with them. Consistent with the University's commitment to diversity and inclusion, Northwestern works towards building relationships with Native American communities through academic pursuits, partnerships, historical recognitions, community service and enrollment efforts.

Find out more information here