Community Service - What is it?

Community Service develops citizenship and good character, and provides a rich context for student learning. In addition to their service projects, students participate in a learning experience that draws upon their volunteer activities. Linking education with community experiences increases students' participation and overall commitment to school, teaches them they are relevant participants in their community, and offers a useful tool to help them transition to the world of work. Hunger and poverty is a big problem in Los Angeles. Many families are on food stamps, but many who qualify for food stamps do not receive help. A Community Service project can help those families, as well as teach all children that their help is needed also to alleviate hunger in LA County.
All children from every economic level have the ability to donate time.

Why Community Service?

Community service is neither an add-on nor a diversion from the curriculum.

It is a powerful approach to teaching that provides kids with authentic learning experiences in which they learn academic content in a real-life, real-world context. There are many advantages to this approach, including:

• All kids can actively participate and make a meaningful contribution regardless of their talents, their deficits or their economic position.
• It empowers students with the realization that they can make a difference.
• It develops the students' communication skills by requiring them to read, write, listen, and speak.
• In addition to academic content, students learn a range of valuable practical skills including: problem solving, organizing, collaborating, project management, research, dealing with obstacles and setbacks, etc.
• It develops character virtues and interpersonal habits such as respect, responsibility, empathy, cooperation, citizenship, initiative, and persistence.
  It makes a positive contribution to the community.
• The kids love doing it. It's engaging, inspiring, and motivates them to learn.