Individual Pathways

As a type of Individual Service, Engage Dallas understands the need to provide the community and students with the flexibility to meet emergent community service needs.

Individual Pathways allow for one-off community service needs proposed by either Engage Dallas Community Partners or students. Discover how to propose your own individual service opportunity below. 

SMU Students volunteer at an Engage Dallas event.

Student-proposal process

Your unique ideas and talents are needed in South and West Dallas.

Students wishing to propose an Individual Pathway for the Community Engagement Proficiency and Experience via Engage Dallas must:

  • Identify a need they can fill for an Engage Dallas Community Partner
  • Write a brief explanation of the project scope
  • Meet with and identify a supervisor from the Engage Dallas Community Partner 
  • Identify 2 - 3 artifacts that can be used to demonstrate the contributions to the organization 

Once agreement is reached between the student and the Community Partner supervisor, the student should complete the Engage Dallas Individual Pathway Proposal Form. Then, upload the signed proposal form and submit an Individual Service Registration webform.

Upload Proposal

SMU Students workin in a raised bed garden on an Engage Dallas project.

Community Partner-proposal process

How can SMU students help your community organization? Submit a pre-designed Individual Pathway experience.

Recognized Engage Dallas community partners may propose pre-designed individual pathways for SMU students to consider. Think of Individual Pathways as a large project, but not as time-consuming as a semester-long internship. Your pre-designed individual pathways are special projects or large-scale task combining the student's skills and your community organization's needs. Examples include graphic designer, office assistant, data manager. These are short-term projects.

Community Partners submit the pre-designed individual pathway. The more details you provide in your proposal helps Engage Dallas recruit the correctly-trained and best-suited student to serve with your organization. 

After an administrative review, which could take 1 - 2 business weeks, Engage Dallas will push marketing out to students who will contact you directly expressing their interest. 

Offer a Pathway