Service Learning and Community Service

• Service Learning


  An experiential educational approach where a student learns theories in the classroom and at the same time volunteers with an agency, usually a non-profit or social service group
• Service Learning

  • Application of what they are learning to community problems
  • Reflecting upon their experience as they seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding for themselves
  • Excellent preparation for living a worthwhile life in society
  • Students learn important skills and life lessons that they can use when they go out into the world beyond school
• Community

  A group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in joint action in geographical locations or settings
• Types of Community

  • Rural Community
  • Suburban Community
  • Urban Community
• Rural Community


  • Often considered "traditional" in that they typically feature open spaces, lots of land, small populations, and a slower pace of life than the average city or town
• Suburban Community


  • Communities situated between rural and urban areas
  • Typically have larger populations than their rural counterparts, yet they also provide more recreational opportunities and better access to nearby cities
  • Tend to be homogeneous and offer organized activities such as community sports leagues and local festivals
• Urban Community


  • Populations are typically larger and more culturally diverse than the others
  • Frequently connected to huge metropolises with a wider variety of services and amenities, high-rise buildings, and institutions like public transportation, cultural centers, and museums
• Community Service


  The practice of people working on behalf of others or a particular cause, without payment, for their time and services
• Types of Community Service

  • Environmental service
  • Health and Wellness
  • Disaster Relief
  • Education
  • Social Services
  • Advocacy and Awareness
  • Animal Welfare
  • Farming and Agriculture
  • Food Collection and Distribution
  • Community Safety and Crime Prevention
• Direct Community Service


  Interactions are person-to-person and face-to-face, directly affecting and involving the recipients. Involves hands-on interactions with people or communities in need
• Indirect Community Service

  A form of service by doing something behind the scenes to help, where the person may not be in the presence of the person or thing you are impacting. Service might take the form of fundraising or collections
• Advocacy


  When you speak up for or against an issue or solution, using your voice to address the underlying causes of a social problem by attempting to influence policymakers or elected officials
• Direct Community Service


  • Feeding program for the unprivileged
  • Providing food for stray animals
  • Volunteering for disaster relief
• Indirect Community Service


  • Sponsorships
  • Funding a seminar program
  • Investing resources
• Advocacy


  • Campaigns for mental health outreach
  • Campaigns for housing-related concerns
• 10 Steps in a Community Service Project

  1. Find Out What Is Needed in Your Community

  2. See What You Have the Ability to Do

  3. Choose a Project

  4. Develop a Plan

  5. Recruit your Volunteers

  6. Make a Budget

  7. Make a Timeline

  8. Raise Money

  9. Do the Project

  10. Evaluate and Celebrate
• Find Out What is Needed in your Community

  Understand the real issues and challenges facing your local community that could benefit from volunteer efforts.
• See What You Have the Ability to Do

  • What skills and talents do you have?
  • How many people do you realistically think you will be able to get to help you?
  • What skills and talents will they have?
  • How many hours per week can you devote to the project?
  • How soon do you want to do the project?
  • What is a realistic amount of money you will be able to raise for the project?
  • Do you have any materials at hand that will be helpful?
• Choose a Project

  1. List your activity ideas.
  2. If you have a group of people you're going to work with, allow them to help you rank the ideas from most to least important.
  3. Vote on or decide which activity you want to do.
  4. Make sure it is reasonable, within your means, and that you can actually make an impact.
  5. Be honest with yourself and your group when assessing how to make the most impact.
  6. Be realistic with your expectations and be
  7. honest about the best way to reach your end goal.
• Develop a Plan


  To start, write down exactly what you are hoping to accomplish. This will include a big-picture goal as well as the specific smaller tasks that you will need to do in order to get to that main goal.
• Recruit your Volunteers


  With a great number of volunteers, community service will also have a higher possibility of helping or engaging on a larger scale in a community
• Make a Timeline


  Provide detailed information about the project’s workflow, such as how volunteers will be scheduled according to their available time.
• Raise Money


  Create a plan on how you’re going to raise the project’s necessary funds.
• Do the Project


  Executing a project involves putting plans into action, completing tasks, and engaging with the community to deliver services or benefits.
• Evaluate and Celebrate

  • Evaluation is a crucial process in evaluating the success of a community service project.
  • It involves gathering feedback, analyzing data, and reflecting on the project's outcomes and achievements.