The document provides an overview of a seminar on service learning presented by Shannon Healy. The seminar covers definitions of key concepts like volunteerism, service-learning, and civic engagement. It also outlines the benefits of service-learning and its 5 critical elements: community voice, orientation and training, meaningful action, reflection, and evaluation. Examples of how to enhance existing service projects are discussed. Contact information is provided for the Community Service Learning Center and its staff.

1. Shannon Healy
CSLC Interns
Community Service Learning Center

2.  What do you want to get out of this seminar?
 What organizations do you represent?
 What’s your personal role with service?

3.  Definitions and Differences
 Characteristics
 Benefits
 The 5 Critical Elements
 Enhancing Your Projects
 Activity
 The CSLC/Wrap-up

4.  Volunteerism
 Service-Learning
 Academic and co-curricular
 Community Service
 Philanthropy
 Experiential Education
 Civic Engagement

5.  From the National Commission on Service-
Learning:
 “… a teaching and learning approach that
integrates community service with academic
study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility,
and strengthen communities.”

6.  From the Corporation for National and
Community Service: “Service learning…”
 Promotes learning through active participation
 Provides structured time for students to reflect
 Provides opportunities to use skills and
knowledge in real-life situations
 Extends learning beyond the classroom
 Fosters a sense of caring for others

7.  An episodic volunteer program
 An add-on to an existing school or college
curriculum
 Completing minimum service hours in order
to graduate
 Service assigned as a form of punishment
 Only for high school or college students
 One sided; doesn’t benefit only the student or
only the community

8. Civic
Engagement
Volunteerism
Service
Experiential Learning
Education
Community
Service Philanthropy

9. Focus
Service Learning
Primary Intended Beneficiary
Recipient Provider
Service-Learning
Community Service Field Education
Volunteerism Internships

10.  Service learning can also be organized and
offered by community organizations with
learning objectives and structured reflection
for their participants

11.  Experiences coordinated by the CSLC can
help you develop through this continuum.

12.  Where do you think the average GVSU
student falls in the spectrum?
 Where do you fall in this spectrum?
 Where do most of the members of your
organization fall?
How do we become active citizens?.....

13.  Students remove trash from a stream bed
 They are providing a service to the community as
volunteers

14.  Students remove trash from a stream bed
 Analyze what they found
 Share the results with the neighboring
community and offer suggestions on how to
reduce pollution
 Then reflect on their experience
 That’s service learning!

15.  Positive, meaningful, and real to the participants
 Cooperative rather than competitive
 Promotes teamwork and citizenship
 Working with real problems in real-world settings
rather than simplified problems in a textbook or
generalized issues
 Identifying the most important issues within a real-
world situation through critical thinking
 Promotes deeper learning – there are no “right answers”
in the back of the book
 Has an impact on the student and the community

16.  National studies suggest that students in
effective service learning programs:
 Improve their academic grades
 Have increased attendance in school
 Develop personal and social responsibility
 Improve character
 Engaged students also learn
 Positive values, leadership, and citizenship
 Job skills and how to prepare for careers after
college

17.  Community Voice
 Orientation and Training
 Meaningful Action
 Reflection
 Evaluation

18.  Each organization/community has a unique
voice and needs
 These should be included in the development
of any service learning project
 It’s a collaboration – Talk with them!

19.  Responsibilities
 What community is it in? Which
organization? Who do they serve? What is the
issue?
 What difficult situations might arise? How do
you address those?
 Group/Team Building

20.  Necessary and valuable
 Are both sides involved and committed?
 Is the project engaging? Challenging?
Meaningful?

21.  What?
 As a participant, what did you do? See? Feel?
 Initial observations on the project
 So what?
 Why was this important?
 What have you learned? How has your view
changed?
 Now what?
 What do you do next?
 How to take this understanding and continue!

22.  What’s the impact?
 You – learning experiences
 Agency – effectiveness
 Community – needs met
 How can we improve/grow/change?

23.  Examples of service projects you currently
take part in?
 Adopt-a-Highway
 Strike Out Arthritis
 Bowl for Kids
 No ideas yet? How can you get started?

24.  With all these definitions and elements you
just learned – how can you apply those?
 Not everything can or should be turned in to
service learning.
 Barriers: Time, resources, etc…
 Baby Steps!

25.  Break into groups
 By organization type, if possible!

26.  In Residence Halls
 Community Councils
 RA’s/MA’s
 Assistant Living Center Directors
 Other service and philanthropy based
organizations
 Academic departments
 Community organizations
 The Community Service Learning Center!

27.  Who they are
 What they do
 Where you can find them
 When opportunities are
 Why you should get involved

28.  Into the Streets
 2 Fridays each month 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.
 Travel time includes travel to and from sites
 Alternative Breaks Info Night
 10/6/09 9:00 p.m.- 11:00p.m
 Grand River Room, Kirkhof Center
 Make a Difference Day
 10/24/09 Pew Campus 8:30 a.m.
 Pew Campus
 First Year Service Experience
 11/20- 11/21/09
 location TBA

29.  Into the Streets
 2 Fridays each month 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m.
 Time includes travel to and from sites
 MLK Day of Service
 1/16/10
 Volunteer and Internship Fair
 1/28/10 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
 Henry Hall
 Service and Advocacy Week
 2/22/10 - 2/26/10
 Community Outreach Week
 3/29/10 - 4/2/10

31. Valerie Jones
Assistant Director for Leadership & Service Initiatives
jonesval@gvsu.edu
Bunmi Fadase
Coordinator of the Community Service Learning Center
fadasol@gvsu.edu
Joshua Lee
Graduate Assistant for Community Service Learning Programs
leejoshu@gvsu.edu
Shannon Healy
Graduate Intern for Service Initiatives Community Service Learning Center
healysha@gvsu.edu 1110B Kirkhof Center
331-2468
www.gvsu.edu/service
service@gvsu.edu