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FirstCall's Service-Learning and Volunteer Program

Several years ago, youth in Fort Collins came forward with the desire to do more in their community: to have more agencies with youth-friendly volunteer opportunities, and to make community involvement an integral part of their educational experience. The community came together with these youth voices, and made Service-Learning a priority in our community.

What is Service Learning?

Service-Learning is a teaching and learning method that involves applying academic knowledge to meet real needs in the community. Service-Learning helps students connect what they are learning in the classroom to the world around them, and helps their community become a part of the school.

Imagine that your community has a large number of people who go hungry each day. Instead of just learning about hunger as a social issue, students involved in Service-Learning become involved in an in-depth understanding of what hunger looks like in their community and how they can get involved in creating some real solutions. Math classes might work with Food Bank personal as they learn new formulas to survey and estimate the amount of hunger that exists in the community. English students may read literature that explores some of the faces of hunger, and then conduct some interviews of their on at the soup kitchen. Art students work with local graphic designers to create posters that educate others about the statistics that the math class has come up with and illustrate the English student's interviews.

And together, all these classes develop a food banquet that educates the rest of the community on their studies about hunger and motivates them to become involved too!

 

Mission of FirstCall's Service-Learning and Volunteer Program:

FirstCall's Youth Service-Learning and Volunteer Program was created in response to call from youth at a community forum in 1999. Youth indicated a desire for service opportunities, but needed a community access point. At the same time, agencies indicated a need for technical assistance to better work with youth. FirstCall serves this function. The mission of the program is to promote an ethic of service, foster youth leadership, build community, and enhance education. We do this by supporting volunteerism and service-learning opportunities for young people in Larimer County. This program facilitates youth service-learning and volunteer opportunities by providing training, community coordination and information and referral.

FirstCall is greatful to it's partners for supporting our mission:

CDE
Colorado Department of Education

Lincoln Jr. High
Lincoln Junior High

Learn And Serve America
Learn And Serve America

 

Service-Learning in the Front Range

So what is happening in our own community? The following groups and projects are some of the Service-Learning initiatives that have taken root in the Front Range.

Lincoln Junior High


Lincoln Jr. HighLincoln Junior High felt that it was important for it's students to be involved in the community, and for the community to take an active interest in it's students. With this in mind, Lincoln staff, students and administration embraced Service-Learning. Now a model school for which other schools can look to in implementing Service Learning, Lincoln Junior High involves all students in 7th through 9th grade in it's Service-Learning efforts.

Service-Learning Youth Council at Lincoln Junior High

When Lincoln Junior High decided to implement Service-Learning into it's curriculum, the students felt that there needed to be a student council to help with this process. The Service-Learning Council helps bring leadership development and expertise in Service-Learning to the rest of the school. Participants organize and plan Service-Learning projects, participate in community mapping, conduct community presentations to youth, teachers, and community-based-organizations about Service-Learning, participate in the shared visioning process, and work with the local media to highlight Service-Learning activities in the community.

Student Community Involvement Team (S.C.I.T.)

S.C.I.T., like the youth council at Lincoln Junior High, has made it's mission to promote service-learning and volunteerism in Larimer County. Three years ago, youth came together from all over the community to rally the community around the need for more meaningful opportunities for youth. This group of students became the founding members of S.C.I.T. This group now meets meet on a weekly basis to discuss ways to positively involve more youth in Service-Learning, organize and plan regular opportunities for youth, and recognize the on-going contributions of youth service in our area. S.C.I.T. members are from the various elementary, junior high, and high schools

 

How can I get involved?

Need help getting involved in the community? Be sure to check out FirstCall's volunteer database for local Front Range opportunities. The following tips can help you make your project successful, and inform you of some upcoming events to get involved with!

Tips to Sign Up

  1. Call listed number a week before the date of the event to sign up
  2. Ask where you should meet for the project and at what time
  3. Ask if you need to bring anything
  4. Show up on time for service

Reflection is an important part of service-learning.

Ask yourself some simple questions such as:

  1. What new skills have you learned?
  2. Did you like the project?
  3. What could you have done to make it better?
  4. What will be your next service project?

If you are a Lincoln student don't forget to fill out a reflection sheet and hand it in to your Language A teacher.

Places You Can Get Involved


Nothing interests you? Contact First Call at 407-7066 to find other volunteer opportunities.

 

Lesson Plan Ideas

The easiest way to become involved in service-learning is to build off of what is already happening in the classroom. The following list of ideas illustrate how you can incorporate service-learning into your class!

Math

Science

Art