For Educators

Great Opportunity!

The 9th annual Youth Service Institute will be in Houston October 17 - 19. Learn more about this exciting opportunity and how you can take part.

Volunteerism is a wonderful tool to teach youth many lessons. Service learning is a teaching and learning method that combines meaningful service with curriculum or program-based learning. Schools and organizations use service learning as a tool to help youth build stronger academic skills, foster civic responsibility, and develop leadership skills. Students participating learn life lessons. Included here we have links to sites rich with examples and information. The database of nonprofit partners can help you find community organizations meeting real needs. Contact these agencies to find how they can partner with you in meaningful service learning. These agencies can provide real-life, current information about issues in the community. Collaborate with them for projects, community resources, speakers, and hands-on learning opportunities. You can search the database by cause or issue or population served. Don’t miss out on this wealth of information!

For more resources

These links will take you to some valuable sites with lots of information and ideas to help your planning process.

GenerationOn is a new youth service division of Points of Light Foundation.  This helpful site has service learning lesson plans for K - 12 and service ideas for children, teens families and groups.  Many ideas for service projects are included.

Learn and Serve has multiple programs, tools, and resources to incorporate service learning into the classroom and lesson plans. There are links to get started implementing these programs, lesson plans, funding and many more

SLICE- Service Learning Ideas and Curricular Examples provides a link to detailed class curriculums that can implement service-learning ideals into the classroom. The lesson outlines objectives, needed materials, and the time needed for each lesson. There are several curriculums for different grade levels.

What Kids Can Do provides a wealth of links to educational resources. The resources are for educators who are looking to teach and work with adolescents in new ways.

Youth Service America has information on mobilizing, supporting, and sustaining volunteerism and service learning. Mobilizing has information and links on getting started in youth volunteering. Supporting supplies links to grants and community resources to assist with funding volunteer projects. Sustaining has links that will assist in helping plan service projects and programs.

Semester of Service encourages students, ages 5-25, to develop a semester-long service-learning project. Projects take place in classrooms as part of the academic curriculum; in schools as part of the extra-curricular activities; in congregations of faith; and in youth development groups in neighborhoods across the United States. Some grants are available.

Roots and Shoots shows teachers how to encourage civic responsibility and incorporate a more global perspective in classroom activities.

Service Learning Partnership provides extensive information about service learning for youths. It has several links about youth organizing and tools and participatory activities.

Teach Unicef provides an array of information that can be used in the classroom. This site provides education about the state of the world’s children and the issues that they face day to day. Information is broken down by topic and grade levels to provide the most appropriate information.