Photo by Lahar Samantarai
A new student organization plans on creating a legacy for Georgia State students.
Urban Uplift is providing volunteer opportunities for students looking to network, while giving back to the community.
The new organization was founded a year ago, by two friends that saw the need for something that’s dedicated solely towards community service. Some of those services include planting flowers at Hurt Park, mentorship programs with children at local schools and a collaboration with a development organization called WINGS for Kids.
One of the founders is vice president, Nia Beasley, a senior journalism major at Georgia State. When Beasley’s not volunteering, she is working on her graphic design business by creating flyers, logos and t-shirts for other organizations, as well as her own. In an interview, Beasley shares some of the core values and future goals for Urban Uplift.
We’re not just on campus,” Beasley said. We go out into the parks, and we [want to] take care of the neighborhoods that we walk through.
How would you define Urban Uplift to someone who is considering looking for a new organization on campus? What does your logo stand for?
Beasley: Urban Uplift is solely a community service organization on campus, our mission is to bring community service opportunities to the students on campus and off campus. The Logo with the “U” and a city represent Atlanta, the city and the urban feel about it, because we want to focus on Atlanta and the surrounding areas near campus.
You mentioned community service hours and opportunities, how can students get involved, and build community service hours?
Beasley: We have membership, but we don’t turn anyone away for a service. We suggest that you become a member, [for instance] if you need a letter, we can confirm that you were here, that you’re a member and you’ve been doing work with us. If someone wanted to come in and do community service you can email us or follow our social media.
What’s the overall goal for Urban Uplift? Where do you envision your organization’s progress in the coming semesters?
Beasley: I would love to see it continue once we graduate, I’m graduating in May and I want to see the legacy continue and see more students involved with it. [With] our membership now, we probably have 25 solid consistent members and I would like to see it at 120 next year. I just want to see students get involved, I want them to want to help other people, to clean up the community and take pride in what their doing.
What are the benefits of giving back to the community?
Beasley: There’s more to college than going to class, social activities and [parties], it’s about giving back, because you walk these street everyday and you don’t want it to be destroyed. I definitely want to just show appreciation. This is a new organization on campus. If [anyone] is looking to get involved on campus and meet new people, this is definitely the best way. If they’re interested in uplifting, improving the community or getting community service hours for anything, this is the best [organization] to do it. We are going to have consistent hours, different hours and programs, so this is definitely the organization for you.
What is Urban Uplifts mission? In what ways can students benefit from participating in student organizations?
Beasley: [Our mission is] to get people in, and bring service. It really helps you grow as a person. I use to be so shy, and I was not involved. I’ve definitely grown [while] being in these of organizations.
Are there any upcoming events that students should look out for, if their interested in participating?
Beasley: We are going to have a plaza day were we create birthday cards for a kid who has muscular dystrophy, he [said] the only thing he wants for his birthday is to get birthday cards mailed to him the old fashion way. His name is Chase Howard and [he’s] turning 10 on Sep. 19.
In what ways is Urban Uplift committing to it’s mission for providing service opportunities to the community and Georgia State students?
Beasley: We just do services, we try to do them once a week. We send out emails through Orgsync, and we have a GroupMe for anyone who is interested. We really try to keep a personal contact with people so that we can get the involvement of students.
Joanne Nagbe, is a junior at Georgia State, studying Public Health. As the event coordinator for Urban Uplift, Nagbe finds volunteer opportunities for the organization. One of the most rewarding parts of Nagbe’s job is seeing the impact that Urban Uplift’s various service projects have in the community.
How does community service play a role in making your organization different from others on campus?
Nagbe: We are a little different from the average organization on campus due to our consistent commitment in serving and uplifting the community.
If you could tell the students at Georgia State one important thing about the new organization, what would it be?
Nagbe: Students looking to get involved in making an impact in the community should seek interest in Urban Uplift. We are a big family that work hard together to make a difference in our community.
Are there any upcoming events that students can look out for?
Nagbe: We are working in alignment with the grounds crew this semester to assist with beautifying Georgia State’s campus. We have already pulled most of the flower beds on campus, so we will be returning in the beginning of October to plant the flowers for the new season. Our mentoring program takes place on the last Friday of every month. We also have lots of more service projects coming up. We will be feeding the homeless, giving away coats and blankets to the less fortune for the winter, volunteering at the homeless shelter and more. Join now to learn more.
To participate in sending birthday cards to Chase Howard, students can mail them to 2318 Zelma Court, Marietta GA 30060.
For more information about Urban Uplift, email the organization at urbanupliftgsu@gmail.com
Starting a Campus Organization
Throughout the years, Georgia State has charted more than 425 student organizations. The easiest way to get more information about current organizations is through Georgia State’s OrgSync portal. It is an interactive web page that provides contact information, brief bio’s and upcoming events for all approved student organizations.
The categories for campus involvement are endless, ranging from activism, health, business, sports clubs, academics and other diverse programs that cater to any interest. Students looking to get involved can filter their search by clicking on the browse by letter or browse by category tab.
There is a list of resources such as student organization handbooks, How-to-guides for chartering an organization, sample constitutions and more.
To create or recharter a student organization, students can log into OrgSync with their campus username (student ID) and password. There are options located on the left side of the website that provides information and resources.
Under the resources category, students can find forms and files with detailed information for changing the organization name, weekly submissions that updates the orgsync account and petitions for starting a new organization.
Prospective student involvement groups can then fill out and submit the written petition form, including the organization’s name, purpose, membership demographic, category and general information that summarizes what the organization is about.
-For more information about chartering a student involvement group on campus, email student involvement. The office is located at Student Center West in Suite 475.
