Archive for September, 2011

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9 Tips for Mentoring Students

Friday, September 30th, 2011

 

Mentoring relationships can be positive experience for students at any level in their school experience. Mentors can help young students get to know adults that aren’t their parents, and older students can benefit from the knowledge and talents that mentors can share with them.

Mentoring relationships can be difficult, though. Here are some tips to help build a strong, positive mentoring relationship:

  • Be patient. Your mentoring relationship is going to advance in stages. Students may not show that they’re benefiting from a relationship with you at first. Stick with it, though, your help may be just what a student needs.
  • Praise is important. A word of praise for an achievement can show a student that not everything in the world is critical. Be positive and sincere in your praise, whether it’s for great achievements or small victories.
  • Set boundaries. Being open in a mentoring relationship is important. Most mentoring relationships develop and flourish without problems. Occasionally, however, something comes up. Mentors have an important role, but this doesn’t include replacing family or social service professionals. A mentor can help guide a young person to the appropriate source for additional help that they might not be able to provide. If you’re not sure where to start, talk to the student’s teacher or principal.
  • Try to understand the student’s point of view. Even if you don’t share his or her point of view, trying to appreciate it shows you care. Who knows, you might learn a different way of looking at the world.
  • Celebrate differences. Experienced mentors report that working with a young person from a different background broadened their own horizons and deepened their understanding of other people and cultures. Sometimes it is the differences that make the difference.
  • Be honest. We all know that nobody’s perfect. If you make mistakes, admit it. Say you’re sorry and learn from it. It’s a skill a child may only learn from you.
  • Be there. Just the sound of your concerned voice can make a big difference in the life of a child. You don’t have to be able to fix all of their problems, but being able to listen to them can go a long way towards making things better.
  • Be positive. Ask yourself, “What encouragement can I give if my young friend disappoints himself or herself?” Mentors are in the business of helping young people make the most of their lives. Allow the child to make a few “growing” mistakes when they learn new things.
  • Believe. Many children in our communities struggle with self-esteem. Your faith in them can be the greatest gift you can give.
Are you a mentor to a student? Did you have a mentor while you were in school, or do you have one now? Let us know what you learned from the mentoring relationship in the comments!
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Is Your School Ready for a Service Learning Program?

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

In service learning, one element builds on another. Plans lead to service that fosters learning. Students build on what they learn and develop their leadership skills in ways that enhance future planning and service efforts.

When a school wants to begin offering service learning opportunities to its students, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that the school, the students, and the partner organization all benefit from the experience.

A good place to start is simply asking whether the school is ready to support a service learning program. Here are some questions that schools need to ask themselves before starting a service learning program.

  • How much are students currently engaged in school based service project, including extra curricular programs?
  • How much does the school integrate service, give credit for documented service experiences, or require that students perform service?
  • How available is an assigned teacher or coordinator to organize the program, meet with students and agency representatives?
  • How convinced is the faculty that community based learning experience can be an important component of an effective educational program?
  • How supportive of service and experiential learning are the principal and other administrators?
  • How much experience does the school have in setting up and running effective business or community partnerships?
  • How much contact does the school have in the community with people who could facilitate a service learning partnership?
  • How much does the school set and follow through on goals to improve its curriculum and educational programs?
  • How many people on staff have a solid understanding of service learning and an ability and commitment to lead and support his or her peers?
  • How well can the school’s ongoing staff development process include education in service learning best practices?
  • How flexible is the schedule to allow students to be in the community as part of their education experience?
  • How much are learning outcomes that include citizenship, community involvement, respect for diversity, and social responsibility seen as part of the school’s mission?
  • How prepared is the school to measure learning gains that result from service learning?
This isn’t a comprehensive list of questions to ask about service learning programs, but its a good place to start. Asking questions will inevitably lead to more questions, and that’s ok!
Making sure your school has addressed these issues, and can answer the questions positively is an important first step to building a successful, long-lasting service learning program.
Have you helped to prepare a school to begin using service learning in the classroom? What troubles did you have, and what was easy about it? Let us know in the comments!
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The Benefits of Volunteering in Schools

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Volunteering in schools can be beneficial for everyone involved: the students get to meet older students or adults from outside of the school, the school benefits from the skills and talent that the volunteer brings to the table, and the volunteer can grow their network and circle of friends!

Figuring out how to volunteer with a school is an important step in planning your volunteer role, but so is understanding the costs (mostly time) and benefits of volunteering.

Benefits for Students

Volunteers in schools can play an important role in the lives of students. They can be an important adult connection for students. students who have involved adult volunteers in their school generally have better grades, better attendance, and higher graduation rates. Increased adult involvement also causes students to have more positive attitudes, more motivation, and higher self-esteem.

Volunteers may also help students by serving as a link between a school and a community. Students do better when schools, families, and communities work together, and involvement is strong.

Volunteers can be a strong advocate for the school they volunteer with. They can be a voice in the community for the school, helping to bring in needed resources or helping people to see the school as a positive force in their neighborhood.

Benefits for Schools

Schools can benefit from adult volunteers through:

  • Increased individual attention for students
  • Extra support on projects
  • Stronger ties to the community
  • Higher levels of parent-teacher communication
  • Increased capacity to better serve a wider variety of youth needs
  • Higher test/grade scores
  • Strengthened programs
  • Improved student behavior

Benefits for Volunteers

Volunteers benefit from volunteering, whether it’s from a closer peer-relationship with teachers and staff at the school or by building positive relationships with students. Volunteers benefit from their work with schools through:

  • Opportunities to meet new people
  • Improving communication, management, and interpersonal skills
  • Improving problem-solving skills
  • Increased self-confidence
  • A clearer understanding of school structure and curriculum
  • Gaining valuable job experience
  • The opportunity to serve as a role model for students
  • The chance to inspire, educate, and motivate future generations

Parents who are active in their child’s school can benefits at home, too. Parent volunteers can form tighter bonds with their children and often find themselves having more open discussions about life at, and outside of, school. Family members that volunteer aid their child’s transition from the home to school. By assisting in this transition, parents learn the structure and expectations of schools.

If you want to volunteer at your child’s school, get in touch with the school’s principal to find out where volunteers are needed in the school. If

Do you volunteer at a school? What benefits do you see from what you do? Let us know in the comments!

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10 Ideas for Volunteering in Schools

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Yesterday’s post talked about the importance of bringing volunteering into the classroom, and how service learning can help to show students the importance of service.

It’s important for parents and other adults to get involved in schools by volunteering. Here are ten ways that you can get more involved in schools:

  • Join the club. The PTA, home and school club, or school site council are ways for parents to get involved in schools. Being a part of any of these groups will also help to connect you with other parents and community members.
  • Attend school board meetings. Attending school board meetings gives you an opportunity to know what direction stendts’ education is taking.
  • Give a boost to a school club. In the era of disappearing recess and music and arts programs, schools may need help providing these kinds of classes. If your child is involved with any clubs or activities at school, call the person in charge of the group and see if you can help with transportation, supplies, or planning.
  • Get technical. If you have strong computer skills, such as Web site creation or network administration, see if your school needs help setting up a computer system or maintaining or upgrading the equipment they already have.
  • Share your time and talents. Teachers often need parent volunteers to help with small-group activities, reading to children, or correcting papers. Are you a fabulous chef or a craft whiz? Volunteer to give students a classroom demonstration of how to make tasty snack or a special holiday gift.
  • Organize a workplace tour. Do you work for a company that would be an interesting place for a field trip? Suggest a class visit to your office. Make sure that the tour is age appropriate, and that the students will be safe during their visit.
  • Start a cleanup crew. Are crushed soda cans and scrap paper taking over the school grounds? Why not plan a school cleanup day? Include parents, students, teachers, and any community members who want to help. Participants will feel a sense of ownership and will be less likely to ignore litter in the future.
  • Nurture your green thumb. Have you noticed that the school grounds could use some work? Talk to the principal or PTA about gathering a group of parents to plant trees or flowers in a few spots around the school. Maybe even plan a garden that can help to supply fresh fruits and veggies for students!
  • Be in the driver’s seat. Teachers often need parents to drive or chaperon on school field trips. Plus, you get to go on a field trip!
  • Volunteer at the school library. A lot of schools are short on funds and look to parents to help keep the library open for students. Offer to check out or shelve books, assist students, or donate money to buy books for the library.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways to volunteer in a school. Maybe you have a skill that you can share with the school and the students. Maybe you can help in a music class, or coach a sports team after classes, or be a mentor for a student.
Try getting in touch with the school’s principal and sharing your ideas for how you can volunteer.
Do you volunteer in a school? Tell us about it in the comments!
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The Importance of Meaningful Service Learning

Monday, September 26th, 2011

Today’s post comes from Davida Gatlin, Manager, Training and Technical Assistance for generationOn.

As a lifelong volunteer, now working in the volunteer management field, I must admit was shocked when a close friend told me, “I’m not that excited about volunteering.”

“Not excited? I just don’t understand.” I sputtered. What’s not to like, right? For those of us who serve regularly, it seems like second nature. Service gives you an opportunity to be part of a solution, to make a difference in the world, to use your talents, to exercise your skills and to build new ones.

“What’s not to like?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I guess I just wasn’t raised to be a volunteer”, my friend said. “It’s not something that I’m used to doing.”

This begs the question: Are raising a nation of volunteers? According to the most recent Volunteering in America report from the Corporation for National and Community Service, 4.4 million teenagers (age 16-19) dedicated 377 million hours of service in 2010. Impressive as these numbers are, 4.4 million teenagers only represent 26.1 of the total population of that age group. Far less information is available about the number of youth younger than 16 engaged in service.

So how do we reach more youth? And where do we reach them? Again, according to the Volunteering in America report, educational institutions are among the most popular organizations through which teenagers volunteer. Including service-learning, the intentional use of service to support academic as well as socio-emotional goals for students, in schools provides students space in which to engage in service activities as well as opportunities to for youth to learn to exercise their voice and choice.

5 reasons to include service learning in school curriculum

Participation in service-learning…

  1. promotes positive thinking about self and community
  2. encourages greater civic engagement
  3. supports positive cross-cultural and intergenerational experiences
  4. encourages positive behaviors
  5. can create a lifelong connection and commitment to service and volunteerism

And 5 ways to ensure that service learning in schools is meaningful

  1. Give students time for reflection, both pre- and post-service. Encourage students to ask questions, to make connections and to assess how they feel about the service experience and why.
  2. Intentionally connect service experiences to curricular goals and objectives. Consider the background knowledge and skills students need to carry out a service project.
  3. Engage in service activities that meet real community needs. The experience will be much richer and fulfilling if students see the positive effects of their actions.
  4. Give students the opportunity to lead. Youth can take an active role in every stage of the service-learning process from investigating a community need to project evaluation.
  5. Acknowledge the efforts of all participants. Help students find a forum through which they can showcase the results of their efforts.

Want to know more about service-learning? Visit generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light Institute, for more information. You can also sign up for generationOn’s upcoming educator webinar, Effective Planning for Service-Learning: Spotlight on Preparation, on October 5, 2011 at 3:30-4:30pm EDT.

You can also infuse service in your school culture as a generationOn School. Whether you are a teacher trying out service-learning for the first time in your classroom or a seasoned administrator working to sustain a school-wide culture of service-learning, you can join the generationOn Schools movement!

 

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So, Who Volunteers, Anyway?

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

What does a volunteer look like in America? The Corporation for National and Community Service gives us an easy way to look at volunteering with their Volunteering in America report!

Click to view original image.

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65 Easy Ways For Kids to Make A Difference!

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Sharing

  1. Seniors love your artwork! Brighten walls – and smiles – at the local senior center.
  2. Got a favorite game? Teach it to younger kids.
  3. Win brownie points! Organize canned goods at home and take extras to a food pantry.
  4. Got talent? Share it!
  5. Your old backpack needs a new friend…donate it!
  6. Gather up outgrown, gently worn shoes and clothes for your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, church or synagogue.
  7. Party leftovers? Local soup kitchen guests are gonna love ‘em!
  8. Neglected stuffies in your room? Little kids at shelters are aching to cuddle them.
  9. Like a challenge? Your game board skills are in demand at the senior center.
  10. Friend forgot their snack? Share yours!
  11. Read aloud to little kids at the library – they’ll love you!
  12. Dust off your old – but still good – books and give them to your school library.

Giving

  1. It’s your birthday! Give a gift to someone in need.
  2. Share your lemonade stand $$$ with your favorite worthy cause!
  3. How about a toy drive for kids stuck in the hospital?
  4. Get a haircut! And give your ponytail to Locks of Love.
  5. Got old sports equipment? Bring it to your local Parks & Rec!
  6. Calling all chefs! Bake cakes and donate the proceeds.
  7. Feed your furry friends at the animal shelter…drop off a bag of food!
  8. Time is precious…share a bit of yours to help others.
  9. Kind words lift spirits…give a compliment and lift yours too.

Conserving

  1. Compost your fruit and veggie scraps…and watch your garden BLOOM!
  2. Help save a gazillion disposable water bottles…reusable bottles rule!
  3. Save a tree! Use both sides of your notebook paper.
  4. Reuse, recycle. Reuse, recycle. Reuse, recycle. Got it?!
  5. Keep the earth cool…walk, bike or use public transportation.
  6. Got energy? Pick up trash! Remember: wear gloves & work with an adult.
  7. Your town doesn’t recycle? Yikes! Create a program now!
  8. Nourish your neighborhood green spaces…grow a community garden.
  9. Like clean air? Grab your friends and plant trees.
  10. Drat those petroleum-based plastic bags! Use fabric bags instead – for everything!
  11. Buzz your town selectmen for more neighborhood trashcans and recycling bins.
  12. Want to save energy while leaping tall buildings in a single bound? Turn off the boob tube and play outside.
  13. Love surprises? Plant fall bulbs and flower seeds…and keep a weather eye for spring blossoms!
  14. “Turn off the lights!” Make switch plate reminders for your whole house.
  15. Save water and tons of $$$ – turn off the water when you brush teeth!
  16. Keep sturdy takeout containers for future leftovers.
  17. Transform colorful magazine pages, comics and more into artful projects and gift wrappers!
  18. Learn how to donate/recycle old computer stuff & post instructions (with permission!) at your local electronics stores.
  19. Breathe in nature…turn off the AC and open a window to the world.

Doing

  1. Whip up your favorite yummy snack and present it to a soup kitchen!
  2. Love history? Visit folks at the senior center and ask about the amazing things they’ve witnessed.
  3. Want to change the world? Practice random acts of kindness.
  4. Keep your brain sharp and body strong. Ask for healthy lunch options at school.
  5. Say “thank you!”…’tis music to your teachers’ ears.
  6. Seeking positive change? Ask your local government officials for help.
  7. Lead by your good example.
  8. New kid at school? Eat lunch with them!
  9. Volunteering? Invite your nearest and dearest along.
  10. Have an older neighbor? Rake their leaves or shovel their sidewalk!
  11. Need a cat or dog to snuggle? Visit the animal shelter.
  12. Help end poverty. Check out the UN Millennium Development Goals online.
  13. Make soldiers smile…send letters & goodies!
  14. There’s nothing like a warm hug…share one today.
  15. Show gratitude and write thank you notes!
  16. Get fit and have fun…start a neighborhood exercise group.
  17. Eating healthy? Partner up to share knowledge, tips and encouragement.
  18. Share a home cooked meal – and cheerful chat – with a homebound person.
  19. Got a big idea? Launch it with a community event!
  20. Friend on a mission? Help them!
  21. Tummy grumbling at the grocery store? Buy a canned good for the food pantry box.
  22. See somebody struggling with heavy bags or boxes? Lend a hand.
  23. Active voters make our country great. Ensure adults in your life are registered!
  24. Adorable pets await loving homes! Where? The animal shelter…tell your friends and family!
  25. Brighten the world…smile often!

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Happy 50th Anniversary, Peace Corps!

Thursday, September 22nd, 2011

Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed—doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps—who works in a foreign land—will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace. – President John. F Kennedy, after signing Executive Order 10924, establishing the Peace Corps

Today, we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps; an organization that has spent 50 years dedicated to developing world peace and friendship. Ever since Senator John F. Kennedy to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries, The Peace Corps has been a monumental program in which more than 200,000 volunteers have served.

Much has changed in 50 years, but the need for volunteers is still significant. As the needs of the world change, the volunteer response shifts as well. While volunteers continue to do important work like bringing clean water to communities and teaching children, today’s volunteers also work to improve HIV/AIDS awareness, information technology, and business development.

Peace Corps Volunteers continue to combat current global issues and help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.

The legacy of the Peace Corps is not only the thousands of volunteers that have visited and served in 139 countries, but it was the inspiration for national service programs like AmeriCorps.

Happy Anniversary, Peace Corps. Here’s to another fifty years of bringing the world a way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace.

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7 Tips for Telling Your Story

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
How often do you tell your organization’s story? What do you talk about when you’re meeting new volunteers or talking to new donors or even explaining what your organization does?
Being able to tell your organization’s story well can help you in everything from recruiting volunteers to writing reports. Here are some tips for telling your story well:
  1. Stories are about people. People connect with other people, so make sure you focus your story on the real-life characters of your story.  Even if your organization works to increase a city’s tree canopy or preserve native plants or helps other organizations to be more effective, people are still the driving force behind the work being done.  So focus on the people involved.  People are what an audience will follow through a story.
  2. Let your characters speak for themselves.  An important part of storytelling is making the story personable and relatable.  When characters speak to each other in a story, it lends immediacy urgency and authenticity to the piece. So use direct quotes and let characters speak in their own voices.
  3. Audiences bore easily.  Let’s face it: these days, our attention spans are strained and unless you’re keeping people interested, you are wasting your breath. So when telling a story, get them engaged: make them wonder “what happens next?” or “how is this going to turn out?”  As the people in your story pursue their goal, they must run into obstacles, surprises, or something that makes the audience sit up and take notice. Try breaking your story into smaller chunks to see if each part is able to hold your attention.
  4. Stories stir up emotions.  Human beings are not inclined to think about things they don’t care about.  Stories stir emotions not to be manipulative, not simply for melodramatic effect, but to break through the white noise of information that continuously inundates us and to deliver the message: this is worth your attention.
  5. Stories don’t tell: they show. Show don’t tell is the most fundamental maxim of storytelling, and for good reason.  Your audience should see a picture, feel the conflict, and become more involved with the story – not just be receptacles for a long list of facts. This doesn’t mean you need to show your audience a slideshow with your story. Your story should help the audience draw their own pictures.
  6. Stories have at least one “moment of truth.” The best stories show us something about how we should treat ourselves, others, or the world around us.  Call it an “Aha” moment – that point when your story conveys a message that really makes your audience say, “Yes! That’s a powerful idea.”
  7. Stories have a clear meaning. When the final line is spoken, your audience should know exactly why they took this journey with you.  In the end, this may be the most important rule of all.  If your audience can’t answer the question, “What was the story all about?” it won’t matter if you followed rules one through six.
How does your organization tell its story? Do you have a really great story that you always use? Let us know in the comments!

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4 Tips For Incorporating Neighboring into Existing Programs

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Neighboring is an asset- and empowerment-based approach that engages underserved and underresourced community members to find innovative, sustainable solutions to address local challenges. Asset-based refers to the acknowledgment that all members of a community can offer something to improve the community: talents, skills, knowledge, or resources. The resident-led approach primarily focuses on a specific geographic area (i.e., ZIP code, neighborhood, or street) in which the majority of the volunteers, activities, and organization come from within a community.
You can implement Neighboring as new, locally identified programming. But you can also incorporate the principles into existing programs and program models.
Take a look at your current practices for community engagement and define the communities your current initiatives
and programs’ impact. The definition may be geographic—a neighborhood—or it may focus on a stakeholder group, such as a school or nonprofit partner organization.
The Neighboring principles of asset identification and community engagement and empowerment can be incorporated into many aspects of your organization. Think about
  • Who is on your Board or advisory group? Do residents of the under-resourced community your organization impacts have an opportunity for input about your priorities and goals?
  • Do you know the local community leaders for the community you’re working in? Do they know you?
  • As you create a new project or continue an existing one, do you consult community residents for project focus, activities, and overall plan?
Service projects. Do representatives of the partner organization’s client base provide input into the program model? Do they sign on to volunteer?
  • Example: Adult ESL tutoring program. Residents who will participate offer their priorities for learning and provide input about their learning styles, the best location for tutoring, and preferred times. Local community leaders who learned English as a second language participate as volunteer and project leaders along with external volunteers.
Days of Service. Have residents of the community to be served participated on planning teams, provided input into the projects, and signed on to volunteer on the day of service?
  • Example: MLK Day. Community residents from a priority neighborhood are supported in identifying one-day service project priorities, neighborhood leaders support recruitment efforts, and a project is developed to clean a local park and build benches. Volunteers come from the local community as well as the city at large.
Youth Service Learning. Are youth engaged in asset mapping exercises before developing their service projects? Are parents and other local community members engaged in the project?
  • Example: Students from a fifth grade class conduct an asset-mapping exercise for their school community, identifying the skills of teachers, parents, and students. They decide to develop a lunchtime reading program, which will engage parents, teachers, and students in reading with one another, developing skills in parents and students simultaneously.
Financial Stability. Have local community members identified financial stability as a priority area? Have you partnered with local institutions (faith, schools, nonprofits, government) to develop the new programs? Have those institutions identified community leaders to engage as advisers, program developers, and volunteers?
To effectively weave Neighboring principles into existing organization practices, initiatives, and programs:
  • Invite community residents from the under-resourced communities your organization impacts to provide advice and feedback into organization goals and priorities.
  • Engage community residents in project planning. Ask them to provide feedback into current projects.
  • Get to know the community leaders for the communities you work with.
  • Define the community geographical, by client base (via a partner organization), and demographically.
  • Engage community residents to volunteer. Don’t run your program with volunteers who are all externally based.
Have you built neighboring into already existing programs? Let us know in the comments!
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