NYLC Hosts National Workshop Review

Fourteen national reviewers gathered at National Youth Leadership Council’s offices in St. Paul, Minn. to select the best workshop proposals for the 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference and youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference to be held April 11-14, 2012 in Minneapolis, Minn. These reviewers consisted of both youth and adults representing a variety of schools and organizations.

The on-site review is the final step in the month-long workshop selection process. Each workshop is scored by a minimum of three national reviewers before the final selection is made by the on-site review team. The workshop selection process was facilitated by Joan Liptrot, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning, and Jason Stewart, Conference Coordinator at NYLC.

Workshops were chosen based on ties to the conference theme “Our World, Our Future” and the K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality Practice, as well as the audience interaction and resources for attendees. “Many of the proposals focused on environmental issues or STEM topics. We also saw an increase in arts and creative expression types of projects using digital media, graphic design, etc. Mostly though, the proposals represented a wide variety of topics,” said Liptrot. 

Absent from the selection pool were proposals that looked at service-learning as a school-wide initiative like the International Baccalaureate program. Other topics facing education like school improvement, or advancement by means of individual determination were also lacking. “We as a [service-learning] field need to be more intentional about making these connections for people!” said Liptrot. “Going forward, we still need to be more proactive in helping people see that service-learning is not something extra.” 

Despite this, everyone in the room felt encouraged and excited about the workshops that were selected. This sense of excitement was perhaps most felt by the youth in the room. “Youth are involved at all stages of the planning process,” said Stewart.  “They submit workshop proposals, review, emcee on the plenary stage, participate in the showcase and on committees, as well as exhibit. Youth are essential to the success of the conference.”

A final list of workshops will be available at www.nylc.org/conference after the first of the year. Applications for the Service-Learning Showcase are currently being accepted until November 14, 2011.

Photo: National review panel meets to select workshops for the 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference and youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference.