National Initiatives Support Sustained Service-Learning

Sept. 11 is not only an official National Day of Service and Remembrance, it is also an opportunity for schools and community organizations to commit to helping others both on that day, and throughout the year in sustained service-learning efforts.

Following this significant day, the President is asking educators and students to commit to a year of service-learning during the Learn and Serve Challenge the week of Oct. 5. Beginning in mid-Sept., schools can register at www.learnandservechallenge.org, and submit their projects to be eligible for national recognition at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. next spring. Both initiatives support the national goal of more than 50,000 schools participating in service-learning this year, addressing the country’s most pressing problems.

NYLC offers a new resource to both initiatives through the Generator School Network, a community of service-learning educators supporting schools and teachers in improving their practice. The GSN helps educators assess and strengthen their practice, implement the NYLC curricular process, exchange their experiences, and improve student and community outcomes.

Members of the GSN can navigate the service-learning cycle, following a curriculum with an array of flexible tools supporting each step in the process. Through this new online community, NYLC provides project plans and examples spanning subjects and grade levels, templates, reflection ideas, evaluation and assessment checklists — tools educators and their students need to ensure successful learning and service.

Get a head start on this school year by registering for both the Challenge and the Generator School Network. Membership in the GSN is free during its first year if you choose to participate in Challenge. Sign up today at http://gsn.nylc.org.