What is Service-Learning?

According to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, 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.

Through service-learning, young people—from preschool to college students—use what they learn in the classroom to solve real-life problems. They not only learn the practical applications of their studies, they become actively contributing citizens and community members through the service they perform.

Service-learning can be applied in a wide variety of settings, including schools, universities, and community-based and faith-based organizations. It can involve a group of students, a classroom or an entire school. Students build character and become active participants as they work with others in their school and community to create service projects in areas such as education, public safety, and the environment.

Community members, students, and educators everywhere are discovering that service-learning offers all its participants a chance to take part in the active education of youth while simultaneously addressing the concerns, needs, and hopes of communities.

FAQ’s

What is 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.

What is the difference between service-learning and community service?
Community service participants volunteer for the primary or sole purpose of meeting the needs of others and bettering the community as a whole. Young people engaged in high quality service-learning meet the needs of their communities while increasing their academic achievement. Service-learning students also take part in structured time to investigate community needs, thoughtful planning of the service project, and guided reflection regarding the relationship between their service experience and their more traditional in-class learning. Overall, the most important feature of effective service-learning programs is that students engage equally with learning and service and reflect on their intersections.

Where does service-learning occur?
Service-learning programs are found in all subjects and grade levels and in a wide range of community-based organizations. The Cedar Valley benefited in a variety of ways from service learning programs. Some examples include: A preschool group beautified the ground of their center. A fifth grade class in Waterloo partnered with residents of a nursing home, interviewed and wrote life stories about the residents. A high school group in Cedar Falls created a web page designed to educate people about the issue of child abuse. 

Can service-learning occur in community-based settings?
Yes. The Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley is actively involved in having students at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley participate in service learning projects as part of an after school program. Last year a youth group at a local church participated in a service learning program. Students at a local middle school conducted mini classes at the Waterloo Public Library for students in the after school programs at the Salvation Army and Boys and Girls Clubs. Two groups at North Star participated in a service learning program this summer. Service Learning can occur anywhere there are interested, committed people.

Is service-learning just for certain students?
No! Service-learning is for everyone. Service-learning is an effective teaching method for all students, including gifted and talented students, special education students, students with disabilities, at-risk youth, youth in inclusive classrooms, and students in alternative education.

How can I be sure that service-learning is a part of my child’s education?
Talk to teachers and administrators to find out whether service-learning is already taking place at your child’s school. If it’s not, consider presenting on service-learning to your school board or PTA.

How widespread is service-learning in the United States?

• 24 percent of America's elementary and secondary schools have adopted service-learning programs.
• 35 states have adopted some form of service-learning policy–either a mandatory, state-wide policy or one granting districts the freedom to create their own.
• At least a quarter of all higher education institutions and more than half of all community colleges have adopted service-learning programs.

Contact the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley for more information at (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org.

National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Important UNI Service Events For The Fall Semester:

It’s that time of year, UNI students! The hustle and bustle and excitement of a fresh school year! Take some time to think about how you want to get involved and make a difference in your home away from home community, the Cedar Valley! Here are a few options about how you can engage in service during the fall semester:

Volunteer Tuesdays

Volunteer Tuesdays will begin on Tuesday, September 1 with shifts from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. and 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. and continue each Tuesday throughout the semester. Participants receive transportation to a service opportunity site and a t-shirt! This fall includes trips to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley, and ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Program to name a few! To learn more and to sign up to participate, visit this site!

Annual Volunteer Fair

On Thursday, September 2 100+ community non-profits and UNI student organizations will provide University students with hundreds of volunteer opportunities! This event will take place from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the outdoor courtyard space of Maucker Union. For more information contact Lauren Finke. 

Make A Difference Day of Service
Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in this annual day of service on Saturday, October 24. More details will be available here soon.

The VCCV Is On-Campus Each Thursday!

Stop by the VCCV’s on-campus office each Thursday between 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. in the Student Involvement Center, upper level of Maucker Union. Learn about how to get involved with service opportunities from the 140+ non-profit organizations the VCCV works alongside! For more information contact Lauren Finke. 

Call (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org to get involved in volunteering.

Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume

When you are looking for a job, your resume gets your foot in the door. It represents you to a potential employer and you want it to stand out from the resumes of the other applicants. One way to capture the interest of an employer is to show that you are an involved citizen -- someone who works to make the community a better place to live. In other words, make sure your volunteer work appears on your resume.

It is a common misconception that there is only one "right" way to design a resume. Actually, the most important thing is to present the information in such a way as to document and support your career goal. If you tell a prospective employer that you want a particular job, your resume must prove that you are the right candidate to fill it. Sometimes your paid work history may not be as important as what you have done as a volunteer in demonstrating that you have the necessary job skills.

One approach used by many people is to add a section to their resumes called "Community Service" or "Volunteer Work." They list the highlights of their volunteering here, to show that they have interests outside of their employment history already described. This is certainly better than ignoring volunteer experience on a resume, but it is not the best way to highlight what you have learned as a volunteer.

Consider integrating your volunteer work into the section of your resume called "Work Experience." Even if you were not paid a salary and did not consider the volunteering to be "employment," it certainly was productive work and should count as "experience." The key is to translate what you gained from the volunteer activity into the language of the paid work world.

Don't use "volunteer" as a job title. It's an adjective and alone does not convey the work that you accomplished. So, if you did tutoring, use the title "Tutor." If you coordinated a project, identify your work accurately as "Project Coordinator." The fact that you filled this position in an unpaid capacity is part of your description of the work. First, grab your prospective employer's interest with an accurate position title.

Next describe the volunteer work in terms of your achievements, highlighting the skills that you learned and demonstrated. What would be important to the work world about what you did? For example, did you raise $100,000? Did you manage a budget or accomplish goals on schedule? Did you supervise a staff of people? Even if they, too, were volunteers, your success required the ability to be a motivating leader. All these sorts of things impress an employer.

Take the time to analyze what you learned as a volunteer. Did you have the chance to practice public speaking? Write reports, news releases, and newsletters? Plan projects, coordinate sub-committees, train others to do the work? Such skills are applicable to just about any setting.

Describe your activities and achievements fully. You do not need to say these were done as a volunteer, though you are of course welcome to do so. If you feel uneasy about representing volunteer work as equivalent to a full-time paid job, you can identify the volunteering as being part-time. Be honest. Don't overstate what you did. But also be sure to give yourself the credit you deserve.

If you are a student seeking your first real job, being able to show volunteer work on a resume demonstrates that you had interests beyond the classroom. If you are returning to the paid work force after some time away, your volunteer activities prove that you kept yourself sharp and involved. If you want to change career fields, it may be your volunteer work in the new field that tells a prospective employer you're worth the risk, even if all your paid employment history is in some other field.

Be unapologetic about giving space on your resume to volunteering. Since the whole goal of a resume is to get you an interview, think how more interesting your face-to-face conversation will be when you add all those community activities to show you who really are.

Call (319) 272-2087, email, or visit www.vccv.org to get involved in volunteering.

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We thank Susan J. Ellis of Energize, Inc.

Three Central Benefits of Volunteering as a College Student

Volunteering simply out of the goodness of your heart should always be your first motive when deciding to feed the hungry, help the homeless or assist a family in need. Yes, you may need to fulfill a certain amount of community service hours each semester in order to qualify for membership in a particular organization on campus, like a fraternity or sorority, but you should really volunteer because you want to improve the quality of humanity and the environment. Those who actually enjoy helping others are the ones who will reap the most benefits from volunteering – and no, building your character isn't the only area volunteering can improve your life. In fact, volunteering can help solve issues that most students are concerned about on a regular basis: post-graduation job placement and debt-forgiveness, for example.

Volunteering Beefs Up Your Resume. Even if there is stiff competition for a job, stating various volunteer projects and/or organizations that you've been affiliated with throughout the course of your college career can help set you apart from other applicants that have the same set of career-related skills and experience as you – especially if you've managed to score a title such as "team leader" or you initiated a volunteer program/initiative on your own. Through your volunteer experience, you can demonstrate to a potential employer how you can effectively manage, meet deadlines, do great PR work or show that you're good with your hands. Your skills will vary depending on what kind of volunteer work you did specifically.

If you struggle finding a job right out of college, volunteering can also help compensate for "lost time." Employers like to hire applicants that stay "active" – simply stating that you lived at home while you searched for a job for a year will not help your employment chances. But saying that you volunteered while job hunting can help your chances substantially.

Volunteering can also help impress admission officers if you're trying to enroll in graduate school, medical school or law school. Admission officers are always on the lookout for well-rounded, three dimensional students and volunteering can demonstrate that.

Volunteering Increases Network Opportunities. When you volunteer for various organizations, you are thrown into an environment with a mixture of people. Some are successful; others know successful people or have "connections."  Depending on who you speak to or work alongside, you may just end up meeting someone who can offer you a job, become a financial backer for your entrepreneurial endeavor or provide you some sound advice.

Volunteering Can Potentially Offer Loan Forgiveness. Lastly (and most importantly for those who have acquired a heavy student loan debt), volunteering may just be able to help you pay back your loans if you sign up with the appropriate volunteer organization. Larger organizations, specifically the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, do offer some loan forgiveness if you volunteer for a number of contract hours and meet certain qualifications.

If you haven't already done so, get involved volunteering – join an established organization or create a team of your own.

Call (319) 272-2087, email information@vccv.org, or visit www.vccv.org to get involved in volunteering.

Thank to Nadia Jones and the Points of Light Foundation for sharing this information.

Volunteering: How Helping Others Helps You

Volunteering can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. 

Volunteer

Giving back to your community is valuable in itself, but helping others also offers many benefits. For example, it can help you learn more about yourself and even put you on a path to your future career. Learn more about the reasons to volunteer below.

Gain Valuable Life Experiences and Skills

Whether you build houses for the homeless or mail flyers for a local politician, you can experience the real world through hands-on work. And you can explore your major or career interests at the same time.

For example, as a pre-med freshman, a volunteer spent his summer serving at a local health clinic. He picked a clinic in an area with a lot of Spanish speakers so he could practice his language skills while observing medical workers. He also found time to ask the doctors questions.

Meet Interesting People

Both the people you are helping and your fellow volunteers can give you new insights. No matter what groups of people you’re working with, you’ll find that they have information and ways of looking at the world that can broaden your horizons.

Get Academic Credit

Some high schools offer academic credit for volunteer work through service learning — a program that offers hands-on learning through service to the community. To find out if your school offers service learning, talk to your school counselor.

Show Colleges You’re Committed

Your volunteer work illustrates your interests and character. When you list your volunteer work on your college applications, you show admission officers the value you’ll bring to their campus community.

Make a Difference

It’s eye-opening to realize that doing even small things can have a big impact on others. Rhea, a college sophomore, still remembers a visit she made to a senior home with a choir when she was in middle school. “An elderly man in a wheelchair looked up at me after the last strains of ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and said in a gravelly voice, ‘You’ve made my day. This means so much.’” She recalls, “No one had ever thanked me in such a way for doing something so small, and a stranger no less!” 

Get Involved

Organizations everywhere need volunteers. Here are some ways to get started:

• Call programs based in your community and ask if they need help.
• Visit the VCCV website. It will list volunteer opportunities in your area.
• Contact a local museum or other cultural institutions or get in touch with similar organizations that can point you in the right direction.
• Ask libraries, religious organizations and community colleges if they sponsor any volunteer groups.
• Check out the VCCV website to learn more about causes and to find volunteer opportunities near you.

Volunteer
To get the most out of your experience, ask yourself these questions before you get involved with an organization:

·        What have I done in the past that I’ve enjoyed?

·        What do I want to do as a volunteer — and what would I rule out doing?

·        How much time can I commit?

·        What talents or skills can I offer?

·        What kinds of people do I want to work with?

·        What would I most like to learn by volunteering?

Call (319) 272-2087, email or visit www.vccv.org to get involved.