Service-Learning Australia

Certainly the easiest place to start developing a service-learning program is with a community partner with whom you have existing links or a community organisation within a few minutes walking distance from your school.

To find community partners who might be prepared and able to work with your students, contact your Local Council, the Community Centre, Neighbourhood Centre, or local Volunteer Centre.  The local Council has not only programs that they coordinate (e.g. Meals on Wheels, the Library, Pet Refuges etc.) but also many resources that could assist students in developing their programs. 

This document prepared by Maitland Council in New South Wales, outlines the way in which the Council are prepared to work with students doing service-learning: the resources they could offer and forums they would be prepared to conduct.  Your council has similar resources.

To get your students starting to think about community issues, there are three very good Australian web sites that list “causes” (e.g. Aged Care, Environment, Homeless Services), the community organizations that work in these areas and their web sites.  The web sites of these community organisations often contain excellent information on the issues hey address.

The organisations are:

• Pro Bono Australia.
• Australian Charities Fund.
• CAF Australia.