Service Learner Orientation

1
Service Learner Orientation

• Giving Them Direction

2
Service Learning Partnerships

• The Steans Center believes in mutually
  beneficial relationships between community-based
  organizations the university
• What makes it beneficial for you to be a service
  site?
• What benefit do you provide to us as a service
  site?

3
What We Ask of Partners

• An identified site representative
• Representation at placement
• Clear and identified tasks for service learners
• Service Learner Orientation
• Participation in Community Development workshops
  (when possible)
• Utilize Service Learning Coordinators
• Participation in Quarterly Evaluation
• Updates on transitions within the organization
• Communication, Communication, more
  Communication

4
Identified Site Representative
5
Placement

• Be There or Be Square
• Placement should be no more than a 3 minute
  commercial on your org.
• It gives you an opportunity to arrange an
  orientation date with students
• Its an excuse to get out of the office

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Providing Direction

• Clear Defined Tasks
• Being able to provide meaningful work for the
  student and for your organization is the goal of
  service learning.

• Orientation
• Orientation should be
• approximately an hour
• long and provide some
• in-depth information to
• the student on your
• organization and the
• community

7
Supportive Services

• Community Development Workshops
• Provides an opportunity to network with
  colleagues
• Provides resources relevant to volunteers

• Service Learning Coordinators
• They are available to do the leg work if a
  student is MIA
• Follow-up with professors
• Answer questions

8
Input and Updates

• Evaluations
• Allows you to provide us with input to improve
  our program

• Updates
• Please provide us with any staff updates or
  changes
• Allows us to maintain communication and
  partnership with organization

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COMMUNICATION

• The best way to maintain a productive and
  cooperative relationship is through
  communication.
• When students are or are not coming through let
  us know
• When coordinators are or are not coming through
  let me know
• Inform us on projects or ideas that you have and
  maybe we can find a way to make it work

10
Orientation

• Why orientation?
• What should be included in orientation?
• Who should do orientation?
• Where should orientation take place?
• When should orientation take place?
• How do I host an orientation?

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Why?

• To give students an understanding of your work,
  your community, and your clients.
• To put into context the importance of community
  work and the impact it has in changing lives
• To get them to re-examine the world around them

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What?

• Your orientation should include an opportunity
  for the students to become familiar with the
  mission and purpose of the organization as well
  as the community in which you are located.

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Who?

• Ideally the site contact/representative will do
  the orientation for the students however
  sometimes that is not possible, but someone with
  experience and expertise in the organization
  should provide the orientation.
• The person should be able to answer basic
  questions about the organization and the tasks
  the students will be engaged in.

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Where?

• Orientations should take place on-site where the
  students will be doing their service
• You should arrange the orientation on a date and
  time you can get the most students present
• If possible a small community tour can be included

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When?

• The orientation should take place the 2nd week of
  the quarter.
• If students have not shown up for the
  orientation, please inform the service learning
  coordinator.
• Students cannot begin their service without an
  orientation first.

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How?

• Survey the Field
• Examine your organization ask current
  volunteers and staff what they wish they had
  known when they started.
• Find out what was confusing for them and make
  sure to clearly address that during orientation
• Provide a volunteer job description to be able to
  clearly identify tasks

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How?

• Call up a Chorus
• Have an employee, volunteer, or client speak to
  the new service learners about their experience
  with the organization
• If you have a short video on your organization
  share it with the service learners
• Make them understand the array of work that goes
  on at your org. and how you are part of a bigger
  picture

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How?

• Show them the ropes
• Provide a good intro into what your org. does,
  how you got started, your programs and future
  plans
• Discuss any potentially stressful situations they
  may encounter and let them know who they should
  go to in case
• Describe to them their duties and tasks

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How?

• Give them the grand tour
• Provide the service learners with a tour of the
  organization, even beyond your program
• Show them where they can keep their stuff and
  where they can and cannot go
• Introduce them to staff, students, and other
  volunteers along the way

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How?

• Send them home wanting more
• After the tour allow time for questions and
  answer them openly and honestly
• Have them fill out a volunteer information form,
  that includes their contact info and their
  availability
• Show them where the time logs can be found
• Let them know the next steps and review with them
  their individual volunteer schedule
• Thank them for coming

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Your input?

• How do you do orientations?
• What can we add?
• Any suggestions?

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Gracias!

• Thanks for coming out.
• You make our work possible.
• Some ideas and info for presentation came from
  www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine
  _articles/nov_dec_2002/how_to_host_volunteer.html