Service-Learning Australia

The school needs to ask the community organisation these questions:

• What is your mission statement?
• Have you had much experience in working with student volunteers?
• Are you able to provide students with authentic service-learning experiences?
• How could the organization help prepare students for their service?
• How much responsibility can students have for planning and implementing the program?
• Are there any training needs or risks associated with the service activity?
• What restrictions might there be connected to this program?
  

What is your mission statement?

• The organisation must work towards achieving its mission.  You will need to let them know how service-learning could help them do this.

Have you had much experience in working with student volunteers?

• The organisation might have people with experience and skills in working with young people; these people might readily understand the value of service-learning for students and the organization.

Are you able to provide students with authentic service-learning experiences?

• Can the agency recognize real community needs that the students could identify, assess and address?

How could the organization help prepare students for their service?

• The organization might provide a guest speaker or information – brochures, articles, videos etc. – or you might take students on an initial site inspection.

How much responsibility can students have for planning and implementing the program?

• Student direction is a critical element of service-learning; you will need to assess how flexible the organization is.

Are there any training needs or risks associated with the service activity?

• You will need to decide who will be responsible for training and supervision and how potential risks will be managed.

What restrictions might there be connected to this program?

• There might be, for example, scheduling issues, problems in providing sufficient supervision, financial pressures.   You will need to work with the organisation to overcome these including, for example, applying jointly for funding.