Civic Engagement

Here are the thoughts of a student in the Pepsi Service Scholars class offered through the Center for Civic Engagement. See how civic engagement is impacting her life!

            Pepsi has helped me learn about the community of Lincoln and how organizations within the community work together to make Lincoln and the surrounding areas a better place to live. I have had the opportunity to get to help some of the non-profit organizations in Lincoln and learn about what they do and how they help the community. I have learned some statistics about poverty, recycling, and health topics. By helping organizations through Pepsi, I have helped with social issues that help in donating money, time, and efforts into helping people in need. Civic engagement has helped me realize how important it is to help out in the community and to help people in need. This class has also helped me gain a desire to want to help the community. For example, I helped at the Malone Center for their Halloween party. The boys at first seemed to think they were tough and ran the place, but they warmed up to us and didn't want us to leave because they enjoyed spending time with someone who cares. Helping at the Malone Center made me realize that I can make a difference in someone’s life and that some people just want someone to talk to that cares. Pepsi has been a rewarding experience for me, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to do service in high school. Also, I now want to encourage others to help in their communities because people need help and some time and effort will make a difference. 

Presidential Election Information Re-post

          The Center for Civic Engagement wants to make sure that students are well informed about the Presidential Election in November and prepared to vote. This post will have some helpful information for UNL students on how to check where you are registered to vote, who you would like to vote for, and how to get an absentee ballot.

          The first step for students is to figure out where they are registered to vote. This is a fairly easy process for anyone. For students from Nebraska they can use this website https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/. You only need to provide your first and last name as well as the county where your permanent address resides. Students from other states can go to google.com and search for "check voter registration in (state)" and hit search. It should come up with the correct website for checking your registration.

          The second step is to figure out who you are going to vote for. One of the best ways to figure this out is go to http://www.isidewith.com/ or https://electnext.com/. These sites ask you what your views are on several issues and then matches you up with the candidate that lines up with your views the best.

          The last step is to either register to vote in Lincoln, or get an absentee ballot. If you want to register to vote in Lincoln go to this website (http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/studentvoters.html), read the information, click on the voter registration application, and send it in. You can also register for an early voting ballot or an absentee ballot. If you are registered to vote in Nebraska you can do it on this website http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/voter_info.html#voter by scrolling down to the early voter application and mailing it to your county clerk.

          Well, this should be all the information you need to know about voting! If you have any questions email unlservelearn@gmail.com.