Iowa Service-Learning Program

http://www.state.ia.us/educate/ecese/cfcs/sl/

What's It All About
Service-learning supports school-based activities that get youth involved in their communities. Young people become involved in service as a means of not only helping others, but also of enriching their academic learning experience, fostering personal growth, and developing the skills needed to become productive citizens.

Service-Learning goes beyond aiding those in need. It emphasizes the educational value of experience-based learning and thoughtful reflection on the service activity. Service-Learning allows students to apply personal experience to academic knowledge.

How Does It Affect The School?
Through Service-Learning, the doors of communication open between students, teachers, and administrators. They all work together to set goals, designate responsibilities and create strategic plan. Within the realm of Service-Learning, the students create program that interest them and help others. The teachers then act as facilitators of the ideas generated by the students. Administrators continue the communication process by interacting with the students on a one-to-one basis.

This communication and interaction creates an environment within the school that is caring, positive and beneficial to everyone involved. Stronger, more understanding relationships are formed between students and teachers. Administrator and community leaders see youngsters doing things that benefit society.

How Does It Affect The Community?
By being involved with Service-Learning, students become active participants within their communities. Their efforts address and meet local needs in the areas of education, public safety, human service and the environment.

Service-Learning brings community leaders and schools closer together and contributes to a higher quality of life for everyone. By working as a team, our youth, our schools, and our communities benefit.

What Service-Learning does:

• Identifies and researches local needs or issues
• Combines academic curriculum with service
• Invites collaboration with school and community-based organizations
• Motivates students to make a difference in their communities
• Encourages students to think about and address real-life situations
• Develops responsible citizens
• Fosters a sense of caring for others

National Organization – www.servicelearning.org

Service-Learning
Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC), a program of Learn and Serve America, operates America 's premier website supporting the service-learning efforts of schools, higher education institutions, communities, and tribal nations. We offer timely information and relevant resources, thousands of free online resources, the nation's largest library of service-learning materials, national service-learning listservs, and reference and technical assistance services.