Community Affairs Board (CAB)

INTRODUCTION

The AS/UCSB Community Affairs Board (CAB), UCSB’s Volunteer Action Center, is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of all UCSB Students by providing information and easy access to community service work. Through a wide range of projects and community programs, CAB seeks to augment classroom experiences, create opportunities for career exploration, connect UCSB to the community in a meaningful way, and promote the ethics of public service. Check out their activities on Facebook and Instagram.

ONGOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Environment

Weekly CABbies participated in Adopt-a-Block and picked up litter right here in the streets of Isla Vista. There were also tree planting events and creek cleanups done together as a group! They also continued to work in a plastics coalition working on reducing the amount of plastic being used here in Santa Barbara and beyond!

Youth

CAB organized loads of projects specifically directed for the youth. The Family Literacy Program continued to be one of CAB’s oldest and largest programs that matches up UCSB students with a children in Isla Vista to meet on a weekly basis and tutor. CAB also provided childcare grants to undergraduate parents two times every quarter to assist with financial needs. In addition they helped organize after school programs, holiday programs and giveaway backpack & school supplies at the start of each school year. For many years CAB has provided volunteers and other support to the Isla Vista Youth Projects (IVYP). This work is invaluable and serves to directly connect students to their local community. CABBies, of course, also genuinely enjoy working with kids, so it’s a win win!

Jugemos

Juguemos held weekly volunteering events. Activities included playing sports and doing arts and crafts with students in IV Elementary.

Hunger-Houseless

Every other week CAB hosted Dinner Clubs where volunteers helped serve delicious food to the houseless of our community. One was held at St. Michaels right in our Isla Vista community and another in downtown Santa Barbara. They also volunteered with People Assisting the Homeless (PATH).

Senior-Citizen

Over the years CAB has developed close ties with local retirement homes such as Friendship Manor (right in Isla Vista) where they served weekly meals.During the holiday they hosted fun themed events for the lovely senior citizens of our community, including a Christmas party and Valentine’s Day Dance.

Animals

There are loads of animal shelters in Santa Barbara and CAB strives to volunteer there as well as assist in restoration projects. They worked often with Bunnies Urgently Needing Shelter (B.U.N.N.S), a bunny shelter in Goleta where CAB volunteers loved spending time weekly to play with the bunnies. This year they reconnected to work with the SB Bird Sanctuary to take care and spend time with some exotic and cool birds!

Special Projects

Special Projects helped facilitate projects that are not covered by the other coordinators. For example, every quarter CAB hosts an event called YOU MATTER! during dead week right before finals in an effort to remind students that “they matter!” CAB organizes all sorts of fun and free things to help relieve what can be a very stressful time such as: food, music, massages, skateboard cleaning, test supplies, a letter making station and more!

IN SUPPORT OF BLACK LIVE MATTER

As the year ended, CAB issued a strong statement of support for Black students and the Black community as a whole, including links to online resources for taking action! :

CAB aims to uplift communities and lend support and a voice to those who are too many times unheard. The injustices and violence that members of the Black community constantly face deserve to be heard. It would be wrong to turn a blind eye to the painful reality of systemic racism. We must stand in solidarity as allies with the Black community and support them in any way we can. We must be compassionate and empathetic, keeping an open ear to the current dialogue about the oppression and racial violence that Black men and women must endure. We must also participate in actively supporting the Black community and reaffirming the demand and truth that Black lives matter. Attend protests, sign petitions, donate to organizations that support the fight for justice, post on social media to raise awareness, engage in difficult conversations with people in our lives about racial issues to facilitate the process of learning and unlearning. The ways for substantive activism are endless. We cannot afford to be complacent about this. We extend our open arms and love to anybody who has been affected and as always, we will continue our commitment to values of volunteerism and community.

CAB ALTERNATIVE BREAKS

CAB has been offering opportunities to volunteer around the country during winter and spring breaks. This year they traveled to San Antonio, Texas. This is what they had to say about the many ways the served the local community while there:

“We had such a great time in Texas that we almost forgot to update y’all on our week! On Wednesday, with another student volunteer group from @georgiatech, we tended to 50 acres of farmland on the Mission San Juan Farm with the guidance of Farmer Mike before helping out in the garden and warehouse of @haven4hope, San Antonio’s transformational campus for their homeless population. On Thursday, we spent the day painting rooms, shopping for gifts, and creating holiday cards for the #adoptafamily program at The Neighborhood’s Place. #alternativebreaks#communitycollaborationsinternational

Thank you to @UTSA and Community Collaborations International for housing and food accommodations during the entire week of our stay! @ San Antonio, Texas”

CAB STUDY SESSIONS

CAB invited students to study for midterms and finals at the CAB office each quarter. They provided free snacks and Scantrons and of course encouragement to get everyone through their exams.

 

GENERAL MEETINGS ALWAYS FUN AND MOTIVATING!