CUE GB poised to help campus communicate, connect and come together
You may have heard the stir about CUE GB.
The new online community service platform launched Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, and is poised to make it much easier for UW-Green Bay students (and faculty and staff) to connect with each other, and to the local community.
CUE GB stands for Community-University-Engagement Green Bay, and is designed to help students make a positive impact on the local community. The platform allows students to find and connect with campus volunteer and service opportunities, and more than 200 local community organizations, from the Volunteer Center of Brown County database.
It also allows UW-Green Bay to track volunteer hours and allows staff and faculty to raise awareness when they need volunteers for events, activities, service, classroom research, and more.
Launched by UW-Green Bay’s Office of Student Life, this new resource gives the University and the local community the opportunity to further communicate, connect and come together. This development is mutually beneficial when it comes to the University and community, allowing students to more effectively learn about needs in the community, as well as giving agencies in the community the chance to tap into potential volunteers that are attending UW-Green Bay.
“Previously, volunteer opportunities were communicated to students by being posted on a bulletin board on campus and using social media,” says Stephanie Kaponya, program coordinator for the Office of Student Life. And the University had a difficult time tracking the full extent of all the great volunteer work students were already active in.
CUE GB was created to address those points, all while trying to make the volunteering process easier for everyone. “CUE GB opens a better channel of communication in regards to volunteer work between students and the community,” Kaponya says.
In addition, student organizations, specific classes, academic units and personnel on campus can utilize this tool as a practical and convenient way to attract student volunteers. For example, if a psychology class needs participants for a psychology study, the class has the option of posting this need on CUE GB.
“I can see this tool being used for Make a Difference Day this coming fall,” Kaponya says. “There are many possibilities for how this tool can be used just on the campus.”
Simply put, merging the resources from the Volunteer Center of Brown County with the dedicated students at UW-Green Bay has resulted in a powerful tool that transforms searching, applying and tracking volunteer work into a streamlined process. As well, finding volunteers for on campus opportunities, whether it’s for a class or an event, has increased in efficiency.
Volunteering made simple
To sign into the system, users simply need to log in using their UW-Green Bay email and password. Students will then be prompted to create an account, which is necessary for agencies to contact them and also tailors their account to their own personal interests. Once a student inputs their volunteering interests, that individual will be ‘matched’ to certain agencies and events right away.
Browsing through agencies is made to be easy and convenient. Students can choose to search through the available agencies by cause, distance and several other factors.
From CUE GB, interested individuals are able to learn a great deal about the agency, the specific event or volunteering opportunity. This includes contact information, places the location on a map, provides helpful links and some agencies even feature photos. Students can also choose to ‘become a fan’ of a specific agency.
With an easy-to-use interface, the platform packs in a wide variety of helpful features. Students are able to sign up for a volunteering opportunity, keep track of all their service hours and employ a calendar view in order to visualize their volunteering schedule. Students can choose to either sign up as an individual or create a team and sign up that way. Students can also see the ‘impact value’ of their service – how much money their volunteering has saved that particular agency or event.
Why volunteer?
Volunteering allows people to interact and connect with their community in a way that lends a meaningful impact. It provides people with the opportunity to step outside their comfort zone and develop new skills in safe space, which can lead to personal growth. Those who volunteer also experience an increase in happiness and a healthy mindset. Additionally, volunteering offers the chance to do some networking out in the community.
With CUE GB as a resource, students can connect and engage with the community with more ease and convenience than ever before, hopefully ushering in a new age of volunteering between the University and the community.
Stephanie Kaponya, Program Coordinator at the Office of Student Life, is available to answer any questions about CUE GB at kaponyas@uwgb.edu.
Story by Alicia LeBoeuf, intern, Office of Marketing and University Communication
