Challenge Update: Nearly 284,000 People Step Forward for Service-Learning

October 27, 2010 - Interest and participation in the National Learn & Serve Challenge continues to grow. Yesterday, participation numbers reached an all-time high of 283,932 people--just 68 people shy of 284,000.

Are you wondering what you can do to build on this momentum? Take steps now to secure a proclamation or resolution to recognize the 20th anniversary of Learn and Serve America, December 6-10, 2010.

The week of December 6-10, 2010, we will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America. Ask your superintendent, school board, mayor, city council, or even your chief state school officer, state school board, or governor to issue a proclamation or letter of support recognizing service-learning and the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America. Our goal is to have proclamations issued and ready to publicize December 6-10, 2010. Start the process now!

• Download instructions for securing a proclamation or resolution.
• Download sample language for your proclamation or resolution.

Stay tuned for new announcements and reminders of simple ways you can take action to spread the word about service-learning in your school or community. Visit the Learn & Serve Challenge Online Resource Toolkit to see this month's featured action steps.

274,000 Strong and Counting: Thousands Pledge to be a Voice for Service-Learning this School Year

October 22, 2010 - On October 18th, we called upon young people, educators, civic leaders, community partners, and families to commit to be a voice for service-learning this school. Four days later, nearly 274,000 of you responded…well, actually 273,961 to be exact. This more than triples last year's participation of 84,000 service-learning supporters.

“Time and time again, we're told that service-learning and Learn and Serve America matters to only a few. Through the Challenge, thousands of people from all walks of life stepped forward to help us prove them wrong,” National Service-Learning Partnership Executive Director Nelda Brown said. “This groundswell of support allows us to amplify our collective voice for service-learning. Showing we are strong in numbers helps us make an even stronger case for service-learning and Learn and Serve America.”

Who accepted the Challenge so far?:

• 36,406 K-5th grade age youth
• 47,493 6th-8th grade age youth
• 97,038 9th-12th grade age youth
• 56,839 college age youth
• 16,599 teachers
• 19,586 community partners

As our kick-off winds down, now is the time to gear up for success beyond the week. Between now and April 2011, the National Learn & Serve Challenge will help you become an effective voice for service-learning. Ready to get started? Check out ideas and suggestions for what you can do this month:

1. Spread the Word about Service-Learning and Learn and Serve America
Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to build support for service-learning. This month, start off with something as simple as creating a service-learning display in your school or community organization or sending a message to your virtual network to educate others about service-learning and to publicize your service-learning work.

2. Speak to Key School Leaders or Community Groups
Young people, teachers, and community members engaged in service-learning have great stories to tell. This month, schedule an appointment to meet with your school principal, district administrator, or senior leaders in your organization. Use this opportunity to update them on your service-learning work and goals for the year ahead.

3. Secure a Proclamation to Recognize the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America, December 6-10, 2010
The week of December 6-10, 2010, we will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America. Ask your superintendent, school board, mayor, city council, or even your chief state school officer, state school board, or governor to issue a proclamation or letter of support recognizing service-learning and the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America. Our goal is to have proclamations issued and ready to publicize December 6-10, 2010. Start the process now!

Visit the Learn & Serve Challenge Online Resource Kit to download FREE tools and templates to get started on these action steps today.

Service-Learning Featured on White House Website

Washington, DC - Service-learning and the National Learn & Serve Challenge are featured on the front page of the White House service website. Service-learning appears along side prominent White House priorities, including Veterans and Military Families, the September 11th Day of Remembrance, and the service response to the BP Oil Spill.

The video features Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Patrick Corvington and Director of Education and Learn and Serve America Nicole Gallant. Both Corvington and Gallant speak directly to the value of service-learning as a strategy to engage young people in academic learning and in the civic life of their communities. They also call upon students, educators, and community partners to be a part of solving our nation's most pressing problems by participating in service-learning in the year ahead.

"Each day in classrooms across the country, students are combining community service with academic learning and getting powerful results," said Corvington. "Through service-learning, millions of students are making a difference while improving their academic performance."

To learn more and to access new tools and information, visit the White House online.

National Challenge Places Youth on Frontlines of Solving Our Country’s Most Persistent Problems

Washington, DC – In the face of the biggest challenges experienced in a generation, millions of young people across the nation are responding by using their talents, creativity and voices to transform the world through national and community service.

Today, the Corporation for National and Community Service joins with the National Service-Learning Partnership, and a coalition of more than 100 national service-learning leaders, educators, and community advocates to kickoff the 4th Annual National Learn & Serve Challenge. The year-long challenge aims to expand opportunities for youth to serve and promote service-learning, a proven teaching method that harnesses the enthusiasm and skills of young people to solve problems in their schools and communities as part of their academic studies. More than 80,000 young people, parents and teachers from across 35 states kicked off the Learn and Serve Challenge last year by participating in 178 events and activities across the country.

“This is an opportunity to honor the ways youth translate what they learn in the classroom into action to improve their lives and communities,” said Patrick A. Corvington, CEO of the Corporation, which oversees Learn and Serve America. “By shining a spotlight on the great results of service-learning programs, we hope to inspire more schools, communities and groups to embrace youth service as a proven solution to our national challenges.”

Read the full article: http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/newsroom/releases_detail.asp?tbl_pr_id=1895

Let the Learn & Serve Challenge Begin

October 18, 2010 - We live in a world facing critical challenges that require our collective attention and action. Young people—like all people—yearn to be a part of the solution. Every day in schools and communities across the country—and in fact, the world—young people are daring to make a difference by using what they learn in classrooms to create solutions to tackle important community problems. And, while serving others, they learn for themselves.

Accept the Learn & Serve Challenge.

Be a voice for service-learning this school year. Join this grassroot network of thousands of youth, educators, community partners, civic leaders, and families nationwide who share your belief in the power of service-learning to impact school success and transform communities.

The Challenge is a seven-month campaign to increase awareness and public support for service-learning. It begins this week and will culminate in April 2011 with a few key milestones along the way:

• December 6-10: Commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Learn and Serve America
• January 2011: Engage local media through Service-Learning Solution Media Days
• April 6-9, 2011: Showcase and share effective strategies and activities to build support for service-learning at the 2011 National Service-Learning Conference
• April 15-17, 2011: Celebrate the culmination of your efforts in conjunction with the 2011 Global Youth Service Day

The Learn & Serve Challenge will help you take simple, but strategic ways to increase awareness of and build support for service-learning in your school and local community. Together, we will increase the number of service-learning opportunities available to young people in school and community-based programs.

Add Your Voice.

Make sure your service-learning site is represented on the Challenge map. Become a Proud Partner of the National Learn & Serve Challenge. Add your school or organization’s name to list of those who believe in the power of service-learning to prepare young people for success in school and in life.

Be a Solution: Your Voice Matters.

Service-learning prepares young people for school success. Service-learning also gives young people the chance to use their education to tackle our society’s most persistent problems. Help us tell that story. Spread the word about service-learning to your friends and colleagues. Invite at least five friends to join you in this Challenge. Visit the Learn & Serve Challenge Resource Toolkit to get started today.

3 Days and Counting: National Learn & Serve Challenge Kick-Off Week, October 18-24, 2010

We're just a few days away from launching the 2010-2011 National Learn & Serve Challenge...and it's more than a single week this year. Between now and April 30, 2011, we will:

1. Build public awareness of and support for service-learning and Learn and Serve America
2. Increase the number of service-learning opportunities available for young people in schools and communities nationwide.

Stay tuned for action alerts and updates from service-learning champions across the country. Sign-up to put your service-learning site on the map today and follow us on Twitter for the latest news and opportunities.