PROGRAMS & PATHWAYS

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING

I PLEDGE ... MY HANDS TO LARGER SERVICE ... FOR MY CLUB, MY COMMUNITY, MY COUNTRY, AND MY WORLD ...

Community Service Learning is a form of experiential learning in which youth apply the subject matter they are learning along with critical thinking skills to address genuine community needs. When youth are involved in selecting and planning such efforts, and have structured time to reflect, talk, and write about the actual service activity they are performing the youth learn more, they become more confident about what they have learned, they improve in problem-solving ability, their leadership and social abilities improve, they take more enjoyment in the overall learning experience, they retain the subject matter longer, and they are more likely to volunteer to serve the community in the future. Community Service Learning can be performed individually, or as a group of varying sizes.

"Community Service Learning strengthens the skills and knowledge 4-H'ers are acquiring by actively combining their learning with service to help meet real community needs. Every 4-H participant is encouraged to take part in community service that fits their areas of learning, as an important feature of 4-H youth development."

Service and volunteering provide opportunities for adolescents to contribute to society in meaningful and valued ways. Providing all young people with opportunities to serve enables them to become contributors, problem solvers and partners with adults in improving their community and the larger society. Youth today who are involved in service activities are assuming meaningful roles and responding to real needs of society as well as to their own need to be needed. Young people need work experience, a higher sense of self-confidence, a chance to develop a service ethic, and opportunities to work with different kinds of people in common endeavors.

Our goal in the service learning area of leadership is to bring awareness to the need and benefits of service in each and every club, project area, and leadership role.

ULTIMATE GOAL: SERVICE LEARNING TRIPS