Service Learning
Service Learning & Civic Engagement
There's more to life than books and lectures. Your growth and future depend on practical knowledge and experience. Lucky for you, the Service-Learning Program is here to put the real world back into college. Learn, grow and get your degree – but don't forget to update the "experience" section of your résumé while you're at it.
Explore your community, meet people and learn more.
Spending less time studying for your tests will be a big change, but you'll still be learning. Though different than the usual, completing your service-learning work is actually very simple:
- Select a service site that looks interesting to you and meets your instructor's requirements.
- Contact the agency and discuss with the volunteer coordinator the available service options and times available to serve.
- Keep track of your volunteer hours on the required hours log form (15 hours per semester is recommended, although you may choose to do more). The volunteer coordinator will sign your log, which you'll then turn in to your instructor.
- Write a reflection paper or presentation which discusses your experience.
The benefits to students:
- Spend less time studying and more time doing.
- Link academic theory to real-world experience.
- Learn new skills.
- Connect with the community.
- Explore careers.
- Learn about diversity.
The benefits for community agencies:
- Short-term volunteers to meet community needs.
- Potential long-term volunteers.
- Potential recruits for agency employment.
- Expanded trained volunteer network to promote agency services within the community.
If you are interested in partnering your organization with St. Charles Community College, please email Mara Vorachek-Warren, mvorachek-warren@stchas.edu
What is the difference between service-learning and community service?
Community service participants volunteer for the primary or sole purpose of meeting the needs of others and bettering the community as a whole. People engaged in high quality service-learning meet the needs of their communities while increasing their own academic achievement. As a service-learning student, you will also take part in structured time designated to investigate community needs, invoke upon thoughtful planning of the project and complete a guided reflection regarding the relationship between your service experience and more traditional in-class learning. Most important, you will engage equally with learning and service and reflect on the connections.