Community Engagement Program
Serve the local and global community through field experience.
The Community Engagement Program (CEP) is an opportunity for service, which is at the heart of Georgetown’s educational ethos. Through structured academic learning, field experiences, and reflections, the program addresses the needs of local and international communities and encourages the values of global citizenship.
Each CEP experience is paired with a curriculum of lectures, movies, and readings that prepare students to engage with the projects on site. Following 30 hours of intensive classroom instruction, CEP participants travel to a selected location for a week to ten days during the Fall, Spring or Summer holidays. During these trips, students learn how communities respond to issues such as access to education and health care, gender parity, governance, and development. Throughout the experience, students are actively involved in ideation, project management, and follow-up activities.
CEP Learning Outcomes
- Understand the principles of social justice in action
- Gain theory-based and practical understanding of the year’s global theme
- Develop self-awareness and self-reflection
- Gain experience in leadership and teamwork
Past CEP Experiences
A Transformational Journey to Kenya
Students traveled to Nanyuki, Kenya, to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s volunteer program, which helps to build houses for people in poor communities. Aya Hassan (Class of 2025) was deeply touched by helping construct a house for a single mother with five children. “Seeing the family that would live in the house made it personal,” she said.
Studying the Legacy of Education in Cambodia
Students spent three days in Cambodia meeting with development teams, academics, students, and government officials on the ground to learn about their experiences. Farah Mazen Mahfouz (Class of 2018) saw the lasting impacts of the genocide first-hand. “A lot…came back to the Khmer Rouge and their history. Even though it was a long time ago…you can see the changes are still there,” she said.
Alumni Leadership on Display in Nepal
This year’s Spring 2025 trip to Nepal to build an energy source in a remote village was particularly special, marking a full circle moment as the program partnered with a tourism company founded by Class of 2023 Nepali alumnus Nikhil Sangroula.
Combining Community Service and Personal Growth
“I traveled to Indonesia thinking the impact happened during those four days of painting and building. But the real impact is what happens next, how I show up differently in my daily life, how I listen more carefully to people around me, how I approach my own community back home in Pakistan.”
– Hassan Amin (Class of 2027)
Service by Example: Faculty Leadership in Indonesia
“You could almost see the thought bubbles rising like steam from their yellow construction helmets: ‘I never knew I could do this!’”’ or ‘It feels good to build a house for someone else!’ or even ‘It’s awfully hot and humid here!’ Yet they never gave up, and I sensed how their ideas of themselves were changing, bit by bit, day by day.”
– Mysti Rudd, Associate Teaching Professor of English Composition and Rhetoric
How to Participate
The university offers one or two CEP exercises each year, depending on the theme and location. If you’re interested in participating, contact Student Life to learn more.