1. Student Community Service Projects

High school is one venue where students learn about citizenship.  What better way to teach about one’s duties, rights, and behavior towards their community then through a school project.  It is important enough to me that I use this as a final exam in my Participation in Government class.  It’s simple and very effective.  I hand out the assignment on the FIRST day of class.  Each student has approximately twenty weeks to complete 25 hours of community service of their choice.  They are graded on a journal they keep and a reflection paper.  Fortunately, I have an organization called the Career Development Council (http://www.sctboces.org/stw/), to track my students, but it is not difficult to do yourself.

Examples of student community service include a voluntary pre school for our district, community concerts to raise money for cancer, helping students with special needs, and of course volunteering for larger organizations such as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the Salvation Army.  The only requirements are that it is time spent without reimbursement and that it is not for family members.

This project not only benefits students (resumes, college applications, self-worth) but the community as well.  Let me put it this way, all seniors at my school must complete community service (my class is a graduation requirement) and there has never been a shortage of recipients.  Community service is win/win for everyone. 

This project doesn’t have to be a final exam.  It could be as simple as a few hours as part of a project or it could be expanded to more hours and an overall requirement for graduation.  All that you need to get started is a local list of organizations that need volunteers.   The following resources may be of assistance to you.

http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/
http://www.servicelearning.org/
http://www.sctboces.org/stw/
http://www.learnandserve.org