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| From the Editors: |
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As 2007 winds down, we are looking ahead to 2008 and we have lots of exciting ideas for new services and resources for you.
Now is the time to plan for the 2008 King Day of Service, January 21, 2008. We want to help support the terrific work you do on this day, so we've gathered together some great resources for organizing or participating in King Day service activities. For more ideas on King Day projects, please visit http://www.mlkday.gov/about/beloved_community/index.asp.
Also this month, we're adding two new features to this newsletter. First, while we will continue to highlight new resources, we will also point you toward "classic" texts on service-learning that are of enduring importance and usefulness to the field. Remember that you can always conduct a search for such "classic" resources (or "starter" and "expert" resources) by visiting our advanced library search page http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/default.php.
The second new feature is the "Program Advisor Spotlight" to keep you up to date on the great work our Program Advisors do. Each month we'll introduce you to NSLC's Program Advisors in each sector, update you on their upcoming presentations and activities, and let you know more about the exciting service-learning resources they're helping us create. For more information on the Program Advisors, please visit http://www.servicelearning.org/about_us/prog_advisors/index.php.
We want to know your ideas about NSLC! We will conduct an assessment of NSLC website and services in early 2008, and look forward to getting your feedback. Annual user surveys have led to many changes and improvements in NSLC's website and strategies. Watch this newsletter and the NSLC electronic discussion lists for an announcement of the release date!
We hope that 2008 will bring you great success in your service-learning and partnership activities. Best wishes!
Barbara and Liberty
Barbara Holland, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Director
Liberty Smith, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Program Manager |
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| News: |
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NSLC Invites Youth to Help Determine the Future of Service-Learning
We need to hear your input! New service-learning standards and indicators to increase the quality of service-learning were recently developed based on recent research on what works. The draft standards and indicators are going through a feedback process to revise them to be the best they can be. The process that is used to "tune" the standards and indicators is called a reactor panel, and groups of people work together to provide feedback in one of the following areas:
Meaningful service
Cognitively challenging reflection
Link to curriculum
Intensity and duration
Progress monitoring
Youth voice
Reciprocal partnerships
Diversity
The panels will take place Thursday, December 20th, 2007 during two time slots: 4:00 pm-6:00 pm EST and
6:15 pm -8:15 pm EST. The panel takes about two hours, and you will work with peers to consider and revise the standards and indicators for one of these topics. You will then share work and receive feedback on your changes from another group. We welcome and need your participation! To sign up for one of the panels, click on the link below and fill out the survey/registration form:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=23qCjxMourmZgGUaWk8lYg_3d_3d.
Please note: these reactor panels are only for youth. If you are filling out the form for one of your youth participants, please confirm that they are available and then complete the form using their information. |
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Here you will find some new online resources to support your project and to help expand the impact of King Day beyond a single day of service and more intentionally connect projects to Dr. King’s teachings. http://www.mlkday.gov/about/beloved_community/index.asp.
Please register your organization and your King Day project at http://my.mlkday.gov/default.aspx. If you created an account last year, you should simply update that listing. Please register or update your projects not later than December 15.
The Corporation is also offering the following webinars. To sign up for these sessions, please send an e-mail to Heather Karlin at hkarlin@ppv.org at least 24 hours before the scheduled webinar. You will then receive directions to access the training. Each webinar will be at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and a recording will be available afterward if you can’t make the live session.
- Fri, Dec. 14 - Mentoring – January is National Mentoring Month. Learn how to utilize the 2008 MLK Day of Service effectively to recruit and match volunteer mentors by partnering with an existing mentoring program. Review of the elements of a successful mentoring model and instruction on how to manage volunteer retention through mentoring opportunities.
- Tues, Dec. 18 - Semester of Service – Learn how your project(s) can be developed into a
Semester of Service that begins on King Day and extends through National and Global Youth Service Day – presented by Youth Service America
- Tues., Jan. 8 - 40 Days of Nonviolence: Building the Beloved Community. Using Service as the vehicle to help build the Beloved Community. Learn how to identify and implement projects that reflect the 6 Steps and 6 Principles of Nonviolence.– Presented by Carolyn Harper and Malikah Berry.
- Fri., Jan. 11 - Mentoring – repeated
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| Program Advisor Spotlight: |
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Program Advisors to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provide sector-specific guidance and expertise to insure a responsive, contemporary, and vibrant NSLC. Program Advisors are selected because of the high quality research, practice, and advocacy they bring to the service-learning community. As well as providing direct training and technical assistance at events, advising NSLC on our collections and activities, and creating materials for their sector, Program Advisors are available to help answer your questions on the email discussion lists. Visit http://www.servicelearning.org/about_us/prog_advisors/index.php for information on all of our Program Advisors.
Featured Program Advisor: Search Institute, Program Advisor for Community-Based Organizations
Contact: Gene Roehlkepartain, Senior Advisor, Office of the President
Search Institute is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. To accomplish this mission, the institute generates and communicates new knowledge, and brings together community, state, and national leaders.
Gene Roehlkepartain’s focus at Search Institute is on families, youth development, faith communities, and strategic communication. He co-directs Inspired to Serve: Youth-Led Interfaith Action, which is a collaboration with Interfaith Youth Core and supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service through Learn and Serve America (2006-2009). Previous initiatives related to service-learning in this area include: Growing to Greatness: The State of Service-Learning in the United States (with National Youth Leadership Council, 2004-2005); Habits of the Heart: Nurturing Commitments to Giving and Serving among Youth (with the Indiana Humanities Council, 1998-2001); Communities as Places of Learning: Building Bridges between Youth Service-Learning and the Volunteer Sector (with Points of Light Foundation, 1994-1995).
Mark your calendars! Gene will be providing TTA at these upcoming events:
Program Advisor Teleconference: Come talk with Gene on January 24, 2007 from 3-4 EST to share your hopes and questions about the CBO sector and to discuss Gene’s work in his NSLC Program Advisor capacity. Sign up at http://www.servicelearning.org/nslc/teleconference_reg_form/.
Look for Gene's presentation at the 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference: Youth for a Change,
April 9-12, 2008, in
Minneapolis, MN.
National Conference on Service and Volunteering June 1-3, 2008 in Atlanta, GA: Gene will be presenting “Service-Learning: A ‘Gateway Asset’ for Youth Development.”
To learn more about Search Institute, visit: http://www.search-institute.org/. |
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| New From NSLC: |
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Resources for Parents: How to Get Your Child Started in Service-Learning
This page offers parents information and resources on how and where to get their child started in service-learning. It contains links, books, and other resources where parents can learn about the benefits of service-learning, as well as websites and organizations where parents can search for volunteering/service-learning opportunities in their area.
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/parents/ |
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Benefits of Community-Based Service-Learning
(Created by Search Institute for NSLC)
Thousands of community-based organizations engage millions of young people in service and service-learning. Though research in K-12 and higher education shows a wide range of benefits of effective service-learning, much less is known about the benefits of service-learning in community-based settings. This fact sheet highlights emerging knowledge about service-learning in the CBO sector.
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/benefits_cbosl/ |
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Developmental Assets: A Framework for Enriching Service-Learning
(Created by Search Institute for NSLC)
This fact sheet introduces Developmental Assets, a framework for Positive Youth Development, and discusses its use as a tool for enriching service-learning.
http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/developmental_assets/ |
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| People are Talking About... |
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‘Social Networking’ has been a buzzword in the media lately and the possibility of harnessing this new technology to the benefit of service-learning programs was a recent topic of discussion on the K-12 email discussion list.
Meanwhile, the Higher-Ed email discussion list was talking about developing faculty surveys to learn more about service-learning courses already in place. Check out the archives to see what suggestions were made, and make some of your own. If you have a survey you would like to share, consider contributing it to NSLC for possible inclusion in our upcoming Sample Forms & Templates collection.
Click on the link below to download a materials contribution form to submit resource materials you have developed for evaluation by NSLC staff and possible inclusion in the NSLC resource collection.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/mat_contrib/
If you’re not yet a part of a service-learning discussion list, please join us in discussing these and other topics in service-learning practice and scholarship by visiting
http://www.servicelearning.org/what_is_service-learning/lists_news/index.php#ls. |
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| NSLC How-Tos: |
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A meta-search engine is a search engine that sends user requests to several other search engines and/or databases and then combines the results from each one. Meta-search engines allow users to enter their search terms once and access several individual search engines simultaneously. Different search engines (such as Yahoo, Ask.com, or Google) often return different search results for the same query, therefore meta-search engines can help make your online searches even more complete.
Here are some examples of meta-search engines:
- Dogpile
www.dogpile.com
- Mamma – “the mother of all search engines”
www.mamma.com
- Clusty
Unlike some of the other meta-search engines, Clusty groups similar results together into clusters, instead of just delivering thousands of results in one long list.
www.clusty.com
The site-wide search box, which can be found in the upper right corner of every page on the NSLC website, is essentially a meta-search. Enter a keyword in this box and see search results from our online articles, library catalog, events calendar, links directory, and LSA Grantee Program Directory. |
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| Featured Library Resources: |
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 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Toolkit
This toolkit is intended to provide ideas for projects for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, help individuals/organizations plan and run a successful service event, connect with partners, promote their project to the media and the public, and manage volunteers effectively.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7298
King Holiday Student Organizing Manual: A Handbook for College and University Students Organizing Community Service Activities for the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday
Community service ideas and examples for the Martin Luther King, Kr. national holiday. Projects include literacy, recycling, civic participation. Appendix includes examples from past King holidays around the nation, resource development, publicity guide, inspirational quotes, and national resource referrals.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=4615
 The Kid's Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make A Difference
In this comprehensive guide you will find hundreds of service project ideas, both large and small. The author provides examples of care of animals, community development and beautification, crime fighting, environmental concerns, friendship, health promotion, holiday celebrations, homelessness, hunger, literacy, advocacy to people with special needs, civic awareness, safety, advocacy of elderly, and transportation as social issues in which young people's service can make a difference.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=2918
 We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: High School Teacher's Guide
This program focuses on the history and principles of the U.S. constitution and Bill of Rights for high school students (suggested grades: 10-12). The curriculum not only enhances understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy, it also helps students identify the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Critical thinking exercises, problem-solving activities, and cooperative learning techniques help develop participatory skills necessary for students to become active, responsible citizens.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=5184
**Service-Learning ‘Classic’:
In addition to bringing you new library resources or those selected each month around a theme, we want to highlight some of those foundational resources that are of enduring importance and usefulness to the field. Remember that you can always conduct a search for such "classic" resources (or "starter" and "expert" resources) by visiting our advanced library search page:
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/default.php.
A Practitioner's Guide to Reflection in Service-Learning: Student Voices and Reflections
By Janet Eyler & Dwight E. Giles, Jr.
This guide is a resource for anyone seeking to use critical reflection in service-learning. Drawing upon student testimony of successful reflection, it assists in developing reflection activities for service-learning courses or programs. The guide is practical and interactive by design and should foster active engagement on the part of the reader, through both the nature of its content and its accessibility. The authors discuss different ways to reflect and learn suited to different learning styles such as the activist, reflector, theorist, pragmatist learning styles. Various reflection activities are covered including reading, writing, doing, and telling. The book includes a reflection bibliography, reflection guides and handbooks, and an interview guide.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=2228
This item is also available for purchase from NSLC
http://www.servicelearning.org/pubs/index.php. |
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| Order Publications from NSLC: |
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Do you need Bring Learning to Life dvds or promotional materials for an upcoming event? Or do you just want to bone up on reflection by taking notes in your own copy of The Practitioner’s Guide to Reflection? The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse features a variety of resources for order in the field of service-learning. Formats include printed material, promotional items, and video formats (VHS, CD-Rom, and DVD). The order process is easy and many of the items are free! Just fill out the form online and check your mail!
http://www.servicelearning.org/pubs/index.php |
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| What's Happening: |
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Intentional Learning, Unscripted Challenges, Knowledge and Imagination for an Interdependent World
January 23 - 26, 2007
Washington, DC
Sponsor: Association of American Colleges and Universities
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=650
12th Annual Institute: Service-Learning and Civic Engagement
February 7 - 8, 2007
Mount Pleasant, MI
Sponsor: Michigan Campus Compact
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=637
3rd Annual Conference on International Service-Learning: Advancing Research and Practice
February 29 – March 1, 2008
Indianapolis, IN
Sponsor: The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership in collaboration with The Center for Service and Learning, Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=693
The sixth annual Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Through Higher Education
March 13 – 15, 2008
Nashville, TN
Sponsor: Belmont University
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=666
The 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference: Youth for a Change
April 9 – 12, 2008
Minneapolis, MN
Sponsor: NYLC (National Youth Leadership Council)
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=618
Eleventh Annual Continuums of Service Conference
April 17 – 19, 2008
Portland, OR
Sponsor: Western Region Campus Compact Consortium
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=596
20th Annual International & Global Youth Service Day
April 25 – 27, 2008
(multiple locations)
Youth Service America and The Global Youth Action Network
http://www.servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=630 |
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| Learn and Serve America Grantee Materials Roundup: |
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse library seeks submissions from Learn and Serve America Grantees and others. If you have produced any materials as part of your program, send them to us at NSLC to be added to the library and/or website. Your contributions can be used by other programs in their work. If you have produced surveys, forms, curricula, project plans, or any type of materials that could be shared with others involved in service-learning, send them our way!
Whether or not you’re a Learn and Serve America Grantee please send us your handbooks, guides, curricula, forms, and anything else you think could be useful to others involved in service-learning.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/mat_contrib/.
Check out this list of recent grantee submissions to find evaluation tools, program ideas, publicity ideas, strategies for measuring learning, etc.
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/grantee_submitted_mats.php. |
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Youth Out Loud: Responding to Hate Crimes as a Human Disaster
Campfire USA
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7286
4 Practical Resources for Linking Service-Learning and the Florida Sunshine State Standards
Florida Learn and Serve
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7290
 Prepare Today -- Lead Tomorrow Teen Toolkit
Campfire USA
http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=7309 |
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| Shape NSLC! |
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We want to meet all your service-learning needs - and we want to get your feedback about how we’re doing!
At the bottom of most pages of the website, you will find a link titled "Make a Suggestion". This link allows you to fill out a form to suggest an event to add to the Conferences and Events database, suggest a library purchase, or suggest a link to add to the Links Collection (e.g., links to lesson plans and syllabi, service-learning journals and periodicals, funding resources, and service-learning tool kits).
http://www.servicelearning.org/nslc/suggestion/.
We really appreciate all the contributions you make to the enhancement of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse, America 's Resource for Service-Learning Information. |
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| Success Stories: |
| Success stories are a way for NSLC to highlight and show off what you have done and are doing in the realm of service-learning.
Submit your story. |
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Creating a New Path (A Learn and Serve America Subgrantee)
Students from CASMAN Alternative Academy in Manistee , Michigan recognized a need for a better place to walk dogs instead of down a dirt road. Partnering with their local Humane Society, the students set about creating a pleasant walking and training environment for dogs and volunteers at the Homeward Bound Animal Shelter.
 Students cleared and laid a quarter mile path on the Humane Society property. Guest speaker, Brian Belt, from the Forestry Department shared with students how to plan and build a trail. Students measured the property and created scale drawings for laying out the trail, contacted volunteers to help clear the path and donate wood chips, and finally, cleared, marked, and measured the trail. They also developed plans for future trail loops.
By creating a more attractive walking environment, the Humane Society hopes to draw in more volunteers, and have a place available for the community to use for walking dogs.
The math connection…in class, students learned about finding volume of geometric shapes, and applied this knowledge to calculate the amount of wood chips needed for the trail. Students practiced taking measurements and converting between different measures. Using ratios and proportions students found the length of the trail and created scale drawings. Study of the coordinate plane was applied to marking the location of benches, bridges, and natural features found on the property at the Humane Society Classroom lessons involved the study of exponential functions that were applied to the study of animal population growth. Students had to budget for materials.
This year, students will tackle the next loop, building a bridge, benches, birdhouses, and marking the trail with signs. Students will make more accurate maps using GPS units. A dog agility course will also be studied to be a possible addition at the start of the trail system. Math will team with science to create a nature guide to be used along the trail. Science students will identify plants, animals, and insects that could be found on the property. Language Arts will help create an informational pamphlet, which will be filled with information found during science class. A new website will document the service-learning progress of CASMAN students, promote the use of the trail, educate the community about animal care, and attract volunteers to the Humane Society.
This is but one example of the 3639 hours of service-learning CASMAN students participated in last year. This commitment to community involvement and development engaged all 100 students in this exemplary school, as well as 10 teachers and 38 volunteers. CASMAN's service-learning programs were funded by the Michigan Community Service Commission's Learn and Serve – Michigan program. The school was awarded a $15,000 Learn and Serve – Michigan school-based grant for the 2006-07 school year.
For more information about service-learning CASMAN Alternative Academy contact Matt Somsel , 225 Ninth Street , Manistee, Michigan 49660 at (231) 723-4981, or at msomsel@manistee.org. |
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View other success stories. |
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Spread the Good News! |
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NSLC is all about sharing, so please feel free to forward to friends and colleagues and invite them to subscribe by sending a blank email to join-nslc-newsletter@lists.etr.org. You're also welcome to incorporate excerpts from the newsletter into your own newsletter (just be sure to cite Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse NSLC Newsletter and send us a copy). |
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