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IC Collective Groups

The Intercultural Center acts as a hub for student organizations, offering meeting space, staff advisement, access to funding, and channels of communication for groups to advertise their events.

Groups that are members of the IC Collective all hold missions that mirror the values and mission of the IC itself. Explore these pages to learn more about what these student groups do, how to contact them, and where they hold regular meetings.

i20 (International Student Club)

i20 is Swarthmore's largest club, representing international students from over 50 countries, with numbers increasing with every passing year. The i20 board organizes weekly dinners, cultural celebrations, and bonding events to foster a supportive and engaging community among international students.

members of i20 student group in the IC Kitchen wearing masks and sitting around a table

ENLACE

ENLACE is a space for Latinx-identifying students to come together in community and solidarity. We provide social, educational, mentoring, and political opportunities to engage students with the many facets of their Latinidad and to explore their identities.

FLI (First-Generation Low-Income) Council

Established in 2019, the FLI (First-Generation Low-Income) Council is a student-led group dedicated to supporting first-generation and/or low-income students through community building, resource distribution, and institutional advocacy. Our work is centered on ensuring that FLI students are able to not just survive, but also thrive throughout their time at Swarthmore.

HAN (Korean Culture Club)

HAN is an organization at Swarthmore that provides a space for students to experience Korean and Korean-American culture and community. HAN hosts social, cultural, and educational events, such as Korean cooking lessons, movie screenings, and speaker events. General members are invited to participate in the weekly open board meetings to contribute ideas, provide feedback, and get to know other HAN members. Membership is open to all students who hold a respectful interest in Korean and Korean-American culture. Students who want to become members sign up for the mailing list and thereafter receive notification of upcoming events and other HAN-related updates.

Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is an organization dedicated to ending the Israeli Occupation and opposing all forms of anti-Jewish, anti-Muslim, and anti-Arab oppression, as well as organizing for a just peace for all peoples in Israel/Palestine and throughout the world. JVP is a group of students who seek a space to be both unabashedly Jewish and political in their support for Palestinian rights. JVP seeks to engage in difficult conversations and actively support movements for liberation and justice inside and outside their communities.

Kehilah

Swarthmore Kehilah is a pluralistic community that is based on the principle of radical welcoming and joyful engagement with Jewish traditions and culture. Through Kehilah’s programming, Jewish students (and our many friends and community members from other religious backgrounds) come together to cook, eat, discuss, ask questions, play games, pray, sing and build. We hold weekly Shabbat services and student-cooked dinners, community service opportunities, Jewish holiday programming, discussion groups and classes on Jewish tradition, and support many other communal activities organized by Jewish students on campus

Kizuna

Kizuna is Swarthmore's Japanese Culture Club, and engages in a variety of activities, such as cooking Japanese foods and attending cultural events related to Japan. Anyone is welcome to join, regardless of their familiarity with Japanese language and culture!

MSA (Muslim Student Association)

The Swarthmore Muslim Students Association (MSA) serves as a religious and social affinity organization under the Swarthmore Intercultural Center (IC) and Interfaith Center. The organization aims to bring Muslim students from various backgrounds together to foster mutual religious and spiritual growth and create a comfortable space for students with a shared background.

ORAA (Organizing to Redefine "Asian" Activism")

Organizing to Redefine “Asian” Activism (ORAA) is a socio-political group that aims to mobilize students and unpack the nuances of an imperfect “Asian” identity. ORAA is a site of political action in collaboration with other student organizations and the greater-Philadelphia Asian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Pacific Islander American (API/A) network. We hold discussion-based meetings and organize larger events such as panels and talks. We discuss issues that cover a broad scope of topics, which include power dynamics, identity, education, politics, current events, and popular culture.

students sitting in circle on colorful couches in the IC Big Room

Pathways

Pathways is a safe space for students to come together in community and explore what it means to be human, developing self-confidence, compassion, emotional intelligence, awareness, and empathy in the process. Our meetings are loosely structured, very informal, and have an element of continuity running through them, with each meeting introducing different materials pertaining to these subjects and building up on the previous one.

SISA (Swarthmore Indigenous Students Association)

SISA is a student organization dedicated to the livelihoods and experiences of all Indigenous students at Swarthmore. We offer support and programming to celebrate our wide array of heritages. We want to create a social space for all Indigenous students to come together and create community.

Swarthmore Pan-Asian Association (SPAA)

The Swarthmore Pan-Asian Association (SPAA) will serve as a support system to uplift the voices of the Pan-Asian community. It is our goal to celebrate the diversity of Pan-Asian cultures and uphold the values of the various Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) related ethnic groups (ex: Deshi, Kizuna, SCS) via our mental, physical, and financial support. Through SPAA, we hope to not only act as a promotional unit for these groups but also make our collective presence known on campus. Our plans include a monthly newsletter highlighting the events, achievements, writings, and artworks produced by APIDA-identifying students.

Additionally, we hope to carry out events similar to those put on during APIDA Heritage Month such as movie nights, intellectual conversations, Crumb nights, and most importantly, the Cherry Blossom Festival. We also intend to bring in speakers to participate in moderated discussions about the Pan-Asian experience in hopes of inspiring and educating students. SPAA will be an all-inclusive community dedicated to supporting APIDA students, however, its members will not be limited to only APIDA students. It is our intention to form a chartered organization in which the Pan-Asian community can find safety and unity.

Swarthmore Chinese Society

As the only Chinese group on campus, we are committed to providing an inclusive and enjoyable environment for both Chinese and non-Chinese students. We host weekly dinners and monthly events, giving everyone at Swarthmore an opportunity to learn about Chinese culture, speak Chinese, and just reminisce about home, since most of us are thousands of miles away from it. We also work in collaboration with Swarthmore Dining to occasionally provide authentic Chinese food from local vendors to the community on Chinese holidays.

Swarthmore QuestBridge Chapter

The goal of the Swarthmore College Questbridge Chapter is to create a community and support network of students who come from varying, yet somewhat similar backgrounds that bring us together. Our community includes those who applied through the QuestBridge application, as well as members who identify as first-generation/low-income and allies. We hope to connect students with resources to help them thrive at Swarthmore and beyond.

US in STEM

US in STEM is an organization seeks to address and raise awareness about barriers faced by students historically underrepresented in the STEM fields. We will foster a close-knit and supportive community, both within and outside of Swarthmore, that offers both academic and social support to individuals who have shown an interest in STEM.

Voices

Voices is an online, student-run news and media publication that witnesses, teaches, and listens to the multiple truths of Swarthmore. At Voices, people understand the power of their words. The publication focuses on Audre Lorde's notion that “your silence will not protect you,” opening up critical campus conversations, reflecting the perspectives and protecting the livelihoods of those who are marginalized through advocacy, listening, and empowerment.