WHO WE ARE
The Project is UT Austin’s largest day of student service. This university-wide event helps thousands of students, faculty, and staff each year connect with a different Austin neighborhood. It is organized and run by the Community Engagement Collective (CEC) and annually marks the culmination of a year-long partnership between the CEC and the selected neighborhood’s community leaders.
NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP
The Project is an Austin neighborhood partnership program with two main goals: 1) connect the UT Austin community to the Austin community through service, and 2) bring the resources of the university to the community to meet neighborhood priorities.
PARTNERSHIP TIMELINE
Neighborhood partnerships run in two-year cycles in an effort to create meaningful and lasting relationships between neighborhood residents and UT students and programs. Partnerships are typically formed one year in advance so future partners can attend The Project to see it firsthand, and so student planning committee members and neighborthood representatives can get to know each other.
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Interested in working with The Project? Reach out on behalf of your neighborhood - we'd love to get to know you!
Email: cecollective.specialevent@gmail.com Instagram: theprojectut
MARCH
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Project Day!
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Committee chair applications and interviews
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Year 1: initial neighborhood partner meetings
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Year 2: debrief and year 2 planning with neighborhood partners
APRIL
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Follow-Up Day - any sites with work left unfinished is completed
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First meetings of the new year's committee
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Year 1: initial neighborhood partner meetings
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Year 2: debrief and year 2 planning with neighborhood partners
MAy -
august
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Attending community meetings and making an initial list of sites based on community feedback
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Full tool and supply inventory
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Planning and prepping for fall student committee retreat
september-december
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Visit all potential sites and create wishlists for each site
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Allocate supplies and available funds to each wishlist to determine which tasks can be completed
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Team Lead recruitment, selection, and orientation
january-february
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Final planning!
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Priority Registration period
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General Volunteer registration period
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Team Leads finish training and getting to know their sites
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Setting logistical details for transportation, event signage, volunteer welcome, and event staff support
WHAT WE DO
"The Project" at the University of Texas at Austin represents a massive Day of Service that unites students, faculty, and staff for impactful volunteer work in Austin. This annual event rallies hundreds to address critical needs in local, focusing on activities supporting education, sustainability, and community engagement.
Central to its mission is the direct enhancement of an Austin neighborhood. Volunteers collaborate with community leaders to execute projects, from revitalizing public spaces to organizing educational workshops and supporting local initiatives, fostering tangible, positive change.
Beyond neighborhood improvement, The Project serves as a unifying force, bridging the university and Austin communities. It cultivates collaborative relationships, transcending boundaries, and fostering unity among participants. This collective effort strengthens bonds between the university and the city, emphasizing the transformative potential of community engagement and shared purpose among its diverse participants.
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