An Integrative Model of Student Formation and Leadership in Service

Overview: Learn about a comprehensive model for recruiting, training and mentoring students engaged in service. The personal, professional, interpersonal, social, and academic development of students happens in intentional and planned opportunities. This workshop will present four integrating elements that lead to significant student development and high-impact learning. Starting with (1) an orientation to service program, (2) incorporating a robust process for weekly reflection that is student led, (3) student leader formation approaches, and (4) concluding with an action based, “Now What?” workshop, learn how to engage each of these steps with practical how-to’s, best practices, and lessons learned in the process. Orientation to Service Program: The orientation to service begins with a pre-service workshop model developed over the past four years that provides students with an important introduction to the attitudes and expectations needed to understand why service is part of the curriculum and how to interact respectfully with clients in service activities, taking them from a “helping” attitude to a “partnership” model committed to learning together. Led by staff and trained student facilitators, students registered for weekly service grapple with topics that challenge their assumptions, uncover social justice issues, and explore universal commonalities. Students are prepared through this workshop to engage fully and respectfully in mutually beneficial learning opportunities or encounters. Workshop themes and topics include growing in self-knowledge, identifying and deepening values, interpersonal communication skills and critical thinking and problem solving. Weekly Reflection: Research, assessment results, and experience show how critical the process of reflection is to effective and transformative service-learning for students. After convening student and staff focus groups, we redesigned our reflection process to help connect the service activity and classroom content more effectively. The weekly reflection questions developed are scaffolded and move from affective to cognitive to behavioral questions to promote greater student development. Student Leader Formation Student leaders have a significant role in our service learning program. They lead the service activities, mentor students, serve as university ambassadors in the community, trouble shoot and drive the vans. Learn how our recruitment process and leadership development program make a real difference in both our student experience and in the deepening of our community partnerships. “Now What?” Workshop We want engagement to lead to action. We have designed a culminating workshop to help students reflect on their experience, look at their academic and career goals and discern next steps. This workshop takes place at the end of the semester. Students learn how to move experience into action through our “Now What?” workshop. By understanding and connecting their experience, we challenge students to see the bigger picture, address root causes, and begin to explore how to be agents of change