Today’s post comes from Tricia Thompson, HandsOn Network‘s Manager of Training Development

Because of HandsOn University’s involvement in IBM’s Service Jam, we’ve been anticipating the release of the Jam’s impact report and are excited to share those results with all of you. In October, 15,000 people from 119 countries participated in the Service Jam. They discussed, debated and discovered the “possibilities of new solutions to long-standing societal problems.”

In the recently released “The Systems of Service,” a synthesis of the Jam discussions, the idea of a “Service University” emerged.

“What do you mean by ‘Service University?’” you might ask.

Jam participants defined it as an accessible and credible education for those involved in service. “A Service University would have to be just-in-time, available whenever the need for training arises,” said Barbara Salop, and independent consultant.

This is of particular interest for HOU, who is working toward building a solution to this need. HandsOn University is working toward developing an online learning environment that connects individuals involved in service with the tools and resources they need in real time.

Our staff and affiliate leadership faculty will develop some of these resources. For others, HOU Online will be the conduit to direct individuals to resources developed by other organizations and experts in the sector like CNCS National Service Resource Center and Susan Ellis’s Energize Inc.,  VolunteerMatch, IdeaEncore, Do Something.org or National Youth Leadership Council resource library .

HandsOn University’s vision is to be a one-stop shop for service related resources, tools and e-courses. We want to promote effective tools that already exist in the sector and work to build tools and resources to fill the gaps where currently no tools, training, or resources exist.  We have already started with the following resources:  HandsOn library, Service Project Playbook Library, and Get HandsOn website.

But the notion of a Service University doesn’t stop at training and resources. The demand for leadership and community infrastructure continues to grow at a rate that exceeds the supply.

We must provide the framework for a cycle of neighbors becoming leaders, leaders reaching a depth of impact, and that impact being an inspiration to others to start the cycle over again. HandsOn University is incubating a solution for that too – a little something called the Service Leader Network. But you’ll have to wait until Summer 2011 when that plan fully hatches.

In the mean time, HandsOn University has been experimenting with online learning tools and has developed two courses, one on Skills-based Volunteering and one on Service Leadership (launching soon in conjunction with the Road to the Gulf and GetHandsOn initiatives).

We’ve also developed interactive Virtual Service Project Playbooks, and before June 2011 we will launch the Volunteer Leader Certificate Program to train leaders to develop and manage effective service projects in their communities while the building capacity of HandsOn affiliates and other organizations.

HandsOn University will be developing online courses in the following areas:

• Volunteer Lifecycle Management
• Scaling Service Through Technology
• Leveraging Social Media
• Working with the Private Sector
• Estimating and Measuring Impact
• Service Management
• Globalization and Service

About HandsOn University

As the training and consulting division of HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the nation, HandsOn University (HOU) offers tools and resources that are accessible, easy to implement and focused on impact. Find out more about HandsOn University here.