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!