The Simple Way to Start Service Learning Projects

Service learning projects can be a valuable learning tool. When we educate kids on how to be a part of and serve the communities they live in, they gain a sense of responsibility and pride to be a part of something so big and to make a change for the better. It’s a lot of work to plan and organize events like this. Starting small, gathering a team and pre-planning can make big things happen. Keep reading to see how you can get started today.

1: Gather a Service Learning Team

Service learning projects can be extremely fun and rewarding. However, most of the time, these projects are huge to take on by one person alone. Try to find other staff members that are just as passionate about serving as you are. These team members sh be from your own building who can work with your student population. For example, teachers, administrators, counselors, secretaries, support personnel, etc. Once your team is formed, decide on some times to meet throughout the planning process. If your service project is going to be done once a year, maybe plan to meet once a month. If your project is going to be once a semester, you could plan to meet twice a month. Now that you have your team and know when you’re meeting, it’s time to plan! To read more about getting started, check out my article on Service Learning Made Simple.

2: Plan it Out

Now we’re getting down to the fun stuff! It’s time to sit down with your team and plan the service learning project. Remember, this isn’t an adult service project. You are doing this so that students can have an opportunity to give back to the community and serve others. As you plan, keep students in mind. How can they help? When will they be involved? They should be at the focal point of your action steps.

There are many ways to decide on what project or projects to do. Some buildings break up into smaller groups with students (by grade level, classroom, or interest) and have them throw out project ideas. Some buildings have the adults decide on a few and students vote. Whichever way you decide to do it, make sure the students are involved in the process. The more buy-in, the more meaningful the project is. From my experience, doing simpler projects for the younger students is nice because they can be involved without it being super overwhelming for everyone. Then the older students can have a project that is more detailed and student-focused.

3: Put Service Learning on the Calendar

Once you have narrowed down your ideas and have your plan. It’s time to get it on the calendar. Check all your school building dates to make sure there isn’t anything that would interfere at school. Some projects require students to go into the community. If that is your project, you will need to gather permission for students to go and arrange transportation to and from your project area. Talk to the necessary administration to gain permission. Hand out permission slips and arrange with the transportation department for a ride. If your project requires a community business or place to be open and available, make sure you call and let them know what you would like to come and do. Ask the community partner for permission and set a date with them. This is when the fun begins!

4: Delegate Who Goes Where

If you are doing school-wide service projects, there will be some decisions about when and where students serve. As I mentioned before, in my experience, having younger students (preschool through 1st grade) do something at school is beneficial. Having older students go out into the community seems to be a little more manageable. So, at this point, everyone should know what their project is and they should be ready to serve the community. Some buildings do a “Service Day” where everyone in the building takes the day to complete their service learning projects. Other schools have let grade levels decide when they do their project. Whichever way, make sure you have a calendar with the dates, times, and projects that are taking place throughout the year. This way you can know who is going into the community and when.

5: Connect with City or Business to help

Community partners love when the school gets involved to help. There needs to be a reciprocal relationship when it comes to serving the community. In my experience, our businesses in my small town pour into our school district. It’s nice to take some time to pour back into our community. Showing students that it’s a two-way street helps them understand how to be responsible caring citizens. Call ahead to the city parks department or other public community areas, and ask them if there’s anything you and your students could do for them. First of all, they will be in shock and may need a second to tell you. But, graciously explain what you’re school is doing and that you would love to help with something even if it’s small. Sometimes, community partners will want to join you and make it a group effort. This is always fun, the more the merrier!

6: Put it into Action

The day has arrived and it’s time to either stay at school and complete your project or go into the community. If you’re going into the community make sure your students and groups understand the tasks, understand behavior expectations, and are ready to get to work. This might be a great time to gather a little data, even if it’s a quick thumbs up and thumbs down. Lol! Or, you could pass out a pre-service survey and ask how they are feeling about serving the community, maybe rate how important they think service-learning is, and give a spot to explain their feelings towards planning this project. Now, all that’s left is to get out there and complete your projects!

7: Gather Feedback for Next Year

Once everyone is back in their classrooms and service learning projects are complete, gather some post-surveys to collect feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and the importance of service learning now that students have their projects completed. Hopefully, students can see the value in helping the community and be able to see the difference they made when the project is completed. Sometimes, projects might not have a visual before and after. For example, we had some younger students make cards for the nursing home. The teachers talked a lot about how those cards could make someone feel better. So situations like that educators might have to emphasize the “before and after” in a different way.

There is so much to learn and do with service learning. I know this is just a quick snapshot of what planning out a project looks like. I encourage you to sit down with your team and hash out all these details. It’s amazing to see the end result! Happy planning! Below are some books to take a peek at if this is something you want to bring to your school.