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The Six Service
Options
Option 1: School-Sponsored Projects
School-sponsored projects are a great way to introduce community service
into a school before any formal program is established. Such projects
are outside of the regular academic program and do not have an organized
structure or a membership that continues over time. A school can sponsor
a service project for the whole school, a division (elementary,
intermediate, secondary), or one grade
or class. A school may be invited to participate in a project organized
by a non-governmental organization,
or it may take the initiative to commemorate a service day like World
Health Day.
Option 2: Extra-Curricular Clubs and Teams
Many schools have clubs and teams, some that are service-oriented
(Environmental Club, Human
Rights Club) and some that are not (Sewing Club, Chorus,
Chess Club, Basketball Team). This
option provides ideas about how all extra-curricular clubs and teams in
a school can engage in service projects
at least once a year.
Option 3: Service Incentive Programs
Service incentive programs are structured programs that encourage
students to become involved in volunteer service by giving them some
kind of recognition or award (honor list on a public bulletin board at
the school, a certificate, or a notation on a student’s diploma).
Option 4: Mandatory Service Programs
Mandatory service programs are programs which ensure that all students
in a school eventually engage in community service by making it a
requirement for graduation or for promotion from one grade to the next.
Option 5: Service-Learning
Service-learning is a method of teaching which integrates service into
the curriculum of a school in a way which enhances learning while
providing genuine service to the community. It connects service to such
diverse subjects as math, history, biology, computer science, art, and
literature at all grade levels.
Option 6: Volunteering for the School
While all of the other options are for students, this option discusses
how adults can volunteer for the school, thereby expanding the
effectiveness of administrators and teachers, while providing students
with role models of adults engaged in community service. This does not
exclude the possibility of the students, themselves, volunteering for
their own school, but that is covered in the other options.
A school may engage in only one of these options, some of them, or even
all of them, although developing such a comprehensive service program
should be done gradually. The six different options are often developed
independently. It is useful, however, to have at least a loose
coordination of all school service programs to ensure the quality and
support needed, and to share information about community contacts and
resources.
Book: Learning to CARE
About
the Author
Table of
Contents
The Six Service Options
Book Reviews
To Buy the Book
Learning to CARE Program (Training
Program)
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