If I had one piece of advice to any incoming student at NYU, it would be to join a club. Clubs are a great way to meet people who are like-minded and to showcase your leadership qualities. However, Club Fest can be super intimidating and often, even though you might be interested in a club, you might not get to see their table or it might be too crowded for you to sit down and talk to people about what the club is actually about.
If I were to recommend a club to anyone, it would be “Generation Citizen.” A branch of a national organization, Generartion Citizen works with students here on NYU’s campus, trains them, and sends them into local NYC schools to teach civics to students.
To join this club, you first go through training. Then, according to your schedule, you are placed with a school and a teacher here in NYC where you would attend one period to teach the students about a civics-related topic. Through the use of activities and lesson plans, you can learn more about teaching and engagement while also refining your organization and public speaking skills.
The chapter president, Chris Hagan, says he is “extremely passionate about teaching civics to students because it not only contributes to their knowledge on local issues, but makes them more likely to be engaged members of their society later in life”.
Generation Citizen will begin accepting new applicants in the Fall 2019 semester. If you have questions, be sure to email Chris at cwh333@nyu.edu so that he can get you on the listserve for the upcoming school year.
We hope this club spotlight inspires you to get involved with student organizations on campus!