What is Community ServiceLearning A foundation for LEARNING within the community

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What is Community Service-Learning?A
foundation for LEARNINGwithin the community
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Community Service-Learning is . . .

• A combination of service-learning and community
  service
• Intended to provide a broad base of learning
  opportunities AND targeted service opportunities
• Individual interests and skills
• Matched to community resources

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Community Service-Learning is NOT . . .

• Punitive
• Community service, in the traditional sense has
  often been used as a punishment to a first
  offense
• A Requirement
• to graduation often seen by students as a harsh
  reality to adult rules
• simply the hoops they must go through to
  graduate

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Community Service-Learning is also NOT . . .

• Confined to strictly academic learning, nor is
  credit required
• Skill Building
• Character Building
• Career Development
• An add-on to existing curricula
• An episodic volunteer program

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Community Service-Learning . . .

• Focuses on the opportunities to learn life skills
  and build upon personal assets within the context
  of the entire realm of community resources
  available for learning, particularly for those
  who have not been successful in the school
  setting.
• e.g. students who have been suspended and
  expelled

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• Community Service-Learning is, therefore,
  serving the needs of others for the purpose of
  reparation and learning social, emotional,
  developmental, job and-or other skills.
• --SBA Definition

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Community Service-Learning

• On Reparation . . .

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Reparation . . .

• Restoration to a good condition
• A making of amends
• Compensation for damage
• Websters Dictionary

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Reparation . . .

• RE-CONNECT
• RE-INVOLVE
• RE-ENERGIZE
• REPAIR the broken spirit and
• RESTORE the hope and promise each has to offer

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The need to repair implies there is a problem .
. .
and there is.
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The Problem . . .

• 2.8 million Americans between the ages of 16 and
  24 are neither in school nor employed
• Up to a full quarter of all youth can be
  characterized as disconnected

• Why?
• Economic factors
• Societal influences
• Personal decisions

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Whatever the reason . . .

• The result is a youth who is disconnected,
  uninvolved, and experiencing failure within their
  natural domains of support
• Parents/Home
• School
• Community
• Peers

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Some observations . . .

• Families and neighborhoods matter. Threats to the
  healthy development of youth often begin early in
  life with the people who matter most.
• Weaknesses in public systems can exacerbate the
  problems by creating a sense of futility,
  alienation and disconnect within the entire
  community.
• No ONE is responsible for reconnecting youth to
  school, work, or community.

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RE-connection Strategies

• Intervene EARLY
• Dont give up everyone can turn their lives
  around when offered the chance to learn, work,
  and contribute to the community in a respectful,
  caring, and supportive environment
• View youth as resources use their potential.
  Build upon their assets!

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RE-connecting Youth . . .

• Opportunities for disconnected youth promote
  equity
• The chance to bounce back and overcome youthful
  mistakes/risk factors is appropriate
• Disconnected youth who lack the social and
  financial supports of their more advantaged peers
  often are not as fortunate, but they deserve the
  same opportunity to get back on their
  feet. National League of Cities Issue 7

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Re-connection Strategies

• Create multiple, comprehensive pathways to
  success
• No single program or approach will work for every
  disconnected youth
• Not every such youth will be ready to take
  advantage of the opportunity when first presented
  
• Insist upon accountability

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Community Service-Learning

• On Learning . . .

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Suspended and Expelled

• Behavior issues
• Substance abuse issues
• Violence Bullying/Gangs
• Academic failure
• Special needs
• Poverty
• Sense of hopelessness

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In Nebraska . . .

• In 2001-02, there were 19, 978 school suspensions
• This represents an increase of 36
• Expulsions also increased by 4 from 688 to 718
  in 2002-02
• The final result (suspension expulsion) labels
  students and limits their opportunities
  sometimes for life.

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People First

• KEEP the CHILD the focus not the label
• Students who have been suspended and expelled
• Students who live in at-risk environments
• Students who have special needs
• Students transitioning back to school

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At its best . . .

• Community Service- Learning can transform schools
  into places of active learning, connecting them
  to people and programs in the community, inviting
  young people to become excited about the
  possibilities of helping others while helping
  themselves at the same time.

Shumer Duckenfield, 2004
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Service-learning positive school/community
learning

• INCREASED student engagement
• HIGHER academic learning
• IMPROVED higher-order thinking
• COMPETENCY in personal and social skills

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Increased Student Engagement . . .

• Improved attendance and motivation to learn
• Interesting and meaningful activities relevant to
  students' lives and interests
• Cognitive, social, and affective components of
  learning

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More student engagement . . .

• Opportunities for every student to be successful
• Teaches students how to transfer the
  knowledge/skills they master into their real
  lives
• A re-connection to community, activities, and
  people.

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Academic achievement . . .

• Students have greater opportunities to
• Explore academics beyond the classroom
• Engage in real dialogue and practical experience
  in order to understand subject matter
• Use their skills in both the school and community
  settings

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Improved academic learning in

• Basic skills such as reading, writing, and math
• Better communication skills (listening/speaking)
• Nearly all measures of academic achievement,
  including standardized tests
• Please NOTE Credit is NOT a requirement to
  learning or Community Service-Learning.

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Higher order thinking skills . . .

• Creative thinking
• Decision-making
• Problem-solving
• Visualization (Positive view of future)
• Logic and reasoning
• Process of learning

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Personal and Social Skills . . .

• Impacts positive character traits
• Reduces risk behaviors (smoking, early sexual
  activity, drug/alcohol abuse, and violence)
• Promotes an ethic of service
• Promotes responsibility, trustworthiness, and
  caring for others
• Increases likelihood of volunteer work throughout
  lifetime

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Community Service-Learning

• On community . . .

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Community Service-Learning in the Community . .
.

• RE-Connection to community
• Intergenerational experiences
• Apprenticeships/internships/on-the-job training
• Supportive adult relationships
• Commitment to community
• Youth do not destroy the communities they help
  build and are vested in.
• Fosters greater community support for schools and
  creates a collaborative spirit between the two

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Building Careers . . .

• Service-learning promotes exploration of career
  pathways, goals, and opportunities in terms of
• Diversity (acceptance and appreciation)
• Related individual skills/interests
• Specific career/education goals
• Commitment to community

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Youth as Resources . . .

• Connects young people to real, defined community
  needs
• Empowers young people to help solve rather than
  create problems
• Benefits both the community and the student by
  combining community service and learning.

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The faces of opportunity . . .
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Community . . .

• Offers the opportunity to develop five critical
  competencies
• Resource identification, organization, planning,
  and allocation
• Interpersonal skills in working with others
• Information (lots of it!)
• Understanding of complex systems and
  inter-relationships
• Use of technology

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Community Service-Learning

• Strength-based at its best
• Hope
• Opportunity
• Learning through experiences
• Youth as resources
• Connection to community

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I once thought that somebody should do something
. . . And then I realized I
am somebody . . . and change
must begin with me. -- A
Wise Unknown
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Community Service-Learning
On Reflection . . .
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Reflection . . .

• Valuable part of the learning process
• Ownership in the process
• Personal development
• Analytical skill development
• How?
• Journaling
• End of Project Evaluation

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RESOURCES

• Why Districts, Schools, and Classrooms Should
  Practice Service-Learning RMC Research
  Corporation, January 2003. http//www.servicelear
  ning.org/article/archive/145
• Service Learning Toolbox Northwest Regional
  Educational Laboratory, Portland, Oregon 97204
• Action Kit for Municipal Leaders Issue 7
  Reengaging Disconnected Youth Institute for
  Youth, Education, and Families, MetLife
  Foundation for the National League of Cities
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Service
  Learning is. . . http//www.servicelearning.org/ar
  ticle/archive/35
• National Youth Leadership Council. Growing to
  Greatness The State of Service-Learning Project
  2004 Executive Summary
• National Commission on Service-Learning report
  Learning in Deed The Power of Service-Learning
  for American Schools
• Learn and Serve America Reflecting on the Past,
  Focusing on the Future