Here's your chance to get involved in Saskatoon's core neighbourhoods or learn about harm reduction in our city, enrich your education, and give yourself an edge in the career market. Be part of a team of students working with a local organization on a community project.
- Gain valuable experience.
- Earn recognition.
- Make a difference!
Alternative Reading Week has three main components: Pre-Week Meetings, the Reading Week Program, and Post-Week Meetings. It's like a meeting sandwich around the most food-filled section of the ARW program, making all of it that much better!
An additional component is the opportunity to expand on the ARW experiencce for credit! INTS 201.3 - Dynamics of Community Involvement - is built around ARW and open only to ARW 2012 participants. To learn more about this course, click here. Please note that those who have previously taken Dynamics of Community Involvement for credit as INTS 298.3 cannot take INTS 201.3 for credit.
Registration is now closed. Please check our CSL page for other events
To learn more about ARW 2012, try one of the headings below.
What is ARW?
Program Schedule at a Glance
Pre-Week Meetings
Reading Week Timeline
Post-Week Meetings
Applying
What is ARW?
Alternative Reading Week (ARW) is a co-curricular program based on the foundations of community service-learning, a form of experiential education. The three key components of this style of education are: knowledge, action, and reflection. In the Orientation, Reading Week, and follow-up events, these three components are incorporated to provide a rich and meaningful community service-learning experience.
More information is available in our Frequently Asked Questions section.
Program Schedule at a Glance (ARW 2012)
(dates and times may change)
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Feb. 5th | 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 12th | 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Feb. 18th | 10:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. |
| Feb. 21st to 24th | 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Wednesday February 22nd will begin and end at a later time) |
| Mar. 4th | 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. |
| Mar. 8th | 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. |
Please note: more information will be available as the Week approaches. Email service-learning@usask.ca if you have any questions.
Pre-Week Meetings
There will be two meetings before the Week itself. The meetings will help introduce the participants to each other and to the program purpose and components. Information from and about the community partners will also be discussed.
Reading Week Timeline
On Saturday, February 18th, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., you will be introduced to the community, some of the partnering organizations and their work.
After that Saturday's event, you will have a weekend to chill, with no planned activities on Sunday or Monday (Family Day). On Tuesday, the central focus of the ARW program begins with the following schedule:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. | We meet on campus and transport (with city transit - essential to our experience! :)) to our placements. |
9:00 a.m. | Participants will be working with local community organizations. Some examples for this year are the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre and AIDS Saskatoon. |
| 12:00 noon | Lunch will be provided at a local organization, such as the Friendship Inn, or through a local business. |
| 1:00 p.m. | The afternoons will involve various activities to give participants a greater understanding of the issues facing the community and the work underway. |
| 4:30 p.m. | Done for the day! Transport back to the University. If you want to stay downtown or go from there, you're most welcome to. :) |
Post-Week Meetings
There will be two meetings after the Week itself. The meetings will involve discussion of the Week's events and participants will have more opportunity to share their experiences from the Week.
For our final meeting, representatives from all partnering organizations and from the University are invited to attend this wrap-up, ending in an informal reception for all invited.
Applying
The application process is now closed. Please check back again next year.
Still have questions that weren't answered here or on the FAQ answers page? Contact us at service-learning@usask.ca - we look forward to hearing from you :).
