The Community Side of Service Learning

A summit of Madison area faculty and community organization leaders took place on February 23, 2009, at the Madison Area Technical College downtown campus. Among the activities was a "walk-about" session where participants brainstormed ideas around how to improve service learning. You can access the results of that session by using this link.

What do Wisconsin nonprofit staff think of service learning? Here are the draft results of a survey returned by 108 Wisconsin nonprofit organizations who have experience with service learners. Click here to access the report.

Do small and medium size nonprofits in rural areas have the same access to service learning as those in urban areas. The answer is a resounding no. Urban nonprofits are at least six times more likely than rural organizations to host service learners. Click here to see the report.

Our work in Madison, focusing on the community side of service learning, is now spreading across the state of Wisconsin. As part of that expansion, we are organizing a day-long meeting/workshop on the issues surrounding the community side of service learning. You can get more information by using this link.

New! Endorse the community standards for service learning!

We now have a complete draft of the Community Standards for Service Learning brochure. The brochure lists the recommendations of community agencies for better service learning relationships.

Click here to endorse these community standards. The more endorsements, the more power the standards will have. Your endorsement simply means you agree with the principles expressed in the brochure.

Click here to review and comment on the brochure, and to access the resources supporting it.

We have collected some examples of service learning contracts. Please look at them and leave us your comments on which ones you prefer and why.

Click here to see the contract templates.

[Submitted by Randy Stoecker]