Featured Content
Check here for updates on Summer of Service,
our SOS Program Spotlight, and featured SOS
reports and studies.
WalkAbout, a service-learning program for middle school students, is a National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) Summer of Service Initiative. WalkAbout engages students five days a week for six weeks in community-based service-learning projects. The program is designed to help students assess the needs of their community and address those needs through service-learning activities that are tied to academic programs.
Last summer, the WalkAbout program was located along the Gulf Coast in areas most affected by Hurricane Katrina. At each of the five sites (Moss Point, Mississippi, Picayune, Mississippi, Port Arthur and Groves, Texas, and two in New Orleans, Louisiana) 5th through 8th graders helped in the recovery of their community. The program worked with youth in school districts where at least 50 percent of students were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The curriculum of WalkAbout is aligned with national and state standards and focuses on three areas: environmental preparedness, emergency preparedness, and oral history. Students participate in hands-on service projects at least once a week, with the remaining time spent planning projects and reflecting on their experience.
This week, we had a class swap to experience a different approach to learning. Then we discussed our play about hurricane preparedness. We also talked about our skills for listening and trust to believe in one another. By swapping classes, we found out how others learn about things. The second activity was a trust test to show how much you can believe in somebody. If you did not trust that person you would fall and hurt yourself.
- Gerald, participant
“I think it can be very fun to use this program to enhance my speech, etiquette and team work abilities.”
- Theodore, participant
“I figured out that if I helped someone, good things will come back to you.”
- Willie, participant
To learn more about WalkAbout and Resources for Recovery, its parent program at the NYLC, visit their page on the NYLC site.
Engaged for Success: Service-Learning as a Tool for High School Dropout Prevention
This comprehensive report presents original and secondary research that shows the ability of service-learning to address some of the principle causes of dropping out. It highlights findings from a nationally representative survey of 807 high school students, including 151 at-risk students, who share their views of service-learning.Service-learning holds the potential to address each of the underlying causes of low graduation rates, while incorporating the strategies most recommended for preventing students from dropping out.
Leveling the path to participation: Volunteering and Civic Engagement Among Youth From Disadvantaged Circumstances
This report is the third in the Youth Helping America Series, a series of reports based on data from the 2005 Youth Volunteering and Civic Engagement Survey, a national survey of 3,178 American youth between the ages of 12 and 18. The survey was conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and the nonprofit coalition Independent Sector. The survey collected information on teen volunteering habits, experiences with school-based service-learning, and other forms of civic engagement. This report explores the attitudes and behaviors of youth from disadvantaged circumstances toward volunteering and other forms of civic engagement.
SOS Program Spotlight
ICP will showcase Summer of Service programs doing exemplary work across the country. If you would like to suggest a program, please email Jean Manney at manney@icicip.org. Thank you!In the spotlight:
The WalkAbout ProgramWalkAbout, a service-learning program for middle school students, is a National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) Summer of Service Initiative. WalkAbout engages students five days a week for six weeks in community-based service-learning projects. The program is designed to help students assess the needs of their community and address those needs through service-learning activities that are tied to academic programs.
Last summer, the WalkAbout program was located along the Gulf Coast in areas most affected by Hurricane Katrina. At each of the five sites (Moss Point, Mississippi, Picayune, Mississippi, Port Arthur and Groves, Texas, and two in New Orleans, Louisiana) 5th through 8th graders helped in the recovery of their community. The program worked with youth in school districts where at least 50 percent of students were displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The curriculum of WalkAbout is aligned with national and state standards and focuses on three areas: environmental preparedness, emergency preparedness, and oral history. Students participate in hands-on service projects at least once a week, with the remaining time spent planning projects and reflecting on their experience.
This week, we had a class swap to experience a different approach to learning. Then we discussed our play about hurricane preparedness. We also talked about our skills for listening and trust to believe in one another. By swapping classes, we found out how others learn about things. The second activity was a trust test to show how much you can believe in somebody. If you did not trust that person you would fall and hurt yourself.
- Gerald, participant
“I think it can be very fun to use this program to enhance my speech, etiquette and team work abilities.”
- Theodore, participant
“I figured out that if I helped someone, good things will come back to you.”
- Willie, participant
To learn more about WalkAbout and Resources for Recovery, its parent program at the NYLC, visit their page on the NYLC site.
Interview with Kathy Havens Payne
ICP recently spoke to Kathy Havens Payne, Senior Director of Education Leadership at State Farm® Insurance Companies about the benefits of service-learning, the need for SOS, and the value of the new Resource Center. Read the full interview here.Featured Research
Engaged for Success: Service-Learning as a Tool for High School Dropout Prevention
This comprehensive report presents original and secondary research that shows the ability of service-learning to address some of the principle causes of dropping out. It highlights findings from a nationally representative survey of 807 high school students, including 151 at-risk students, who share their views of service-learning.Service-learning holds the potential to address each of the underlying causes of low graduation rates, while incorporating the strategies most recommended for preventing students from dropping out.
Leveling the path to participation: Volunteering and Civic Engagement Among Youth From Disadvantaged Circumstances
This report is the third in the Youth Helping America Series, a series of reports based on data from the 2005 Youth Volunteering and Civic Engagement Survey, a national survey of 3,178 American youth between the ages of 12 and 18. The survey was conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and the nonprofit coalition Independent Sector. The survey collected information on teen volunteering habits, experiences with school-based service-learning, and other forms of civic engagement. This report explores the attitudes and behaviors of youth from disadvantaged circumstances toward volunteering and other forms of civic engagement.