Be the People: Resistance, Revolution, Responsibility

This year, Duke Service-Learning draws from Duke's We the People initiative to ask not just who the people are — but what the people do.

The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence arrives at a moment that asks something of all of us — and service-learning has always held that learning alongside communities is itself a civic act.

We invite faculty, students, and partners to sit with three words that have always driven social change: resistance, revolution, and responsibility. What do these words mean in the context of community-engaged learning? What do they demand of us as educators, students, and partners?

"The people" is not a birthright. It is a practice — built through courses, partnerships, and real relationships in community.

Together, we'll ask what it means to be the people — in our classrooms, our partnerships, and our communities — and practice the answer together.

Reflection Activities:

Faculty are invited to use the following reflection activities to explore resistance, revolution, and responsibility through the lens of service-learning and community engagement. The activities can be adapted for classroom discussion, individual reflection, or conversation with community partners:

Upcoming Events:

Past Events: