Developing a Community Leadership Corps: A Model for Service-Learning

What is service-learning? Service-learning is an educational method that emphasizes learning through community service 2

What is a community leadership corps? A community leadership corps connects students with an organization or initiative in his or her community 3

Why develop a community leadership corps? Provide educational experience for students Teach positive values, leadership, citizenship, and personal responsibility Encourage students to become active community members Teach job skills to students

Why develop a community leadership corps? (cont.) Contribute your outreach efforts to local community, the state, and beyond Increase school-community collaboration Help with community education Contribute many hours of service to people in need, non-profit agencies, private sector companies, and governmental agencies 5

When is a good time to develop a community leadership corps? A community leadership may be most useful for you after your organization has created its strategic plan and developed relationships with strategic partners 6

Who should be involved in developing a community leadership corps ? You will need to have partnerships between the institution or organization that recruits and supports the students or youth and the individual organizations where they will be placed 7

How do you go about developing a community leadership corps? If possible, secure resources and support Identify host organizations and any additional partners Identify host organization needs Recruit students Identify student interests 8

How do you go about developing a community leadership corps? Train students Match students with host organizations Monitor and support students during their placements Allow students, hosts, and sponsors to reflect on the experience Celebrate! 9