Meet Danielle, Another Member of the Michigan Community Service Commission’s Service-Learning Youth Council

Hey, my name is Danielle!

At the beginning of this year my eleventh grade class started a community garden. It was in partnership with the special education class. When we first started I thought; “Why are we doing this?” and “This is so lame!” But then we planted all kinds of fruits and vegetables in the garden.

When all of the vegetables were grown, my class and I made all different kinds of pasta sauce with the help of kids from the special education class. We helped them chop tomatoes, onions, green peppers, etc. Most people in my class looked at the special education kids thinking “They can’t do this” or, “They are not capable of doing that” because of their disabilities.

I did not think it was fair that not one of my peers gave them a chance, so I decided to sit down and have a nice and normal conversation with one of the boys in the class. He was really sweet, and he understood everything I said despite his disability. I felt so good about myself because I talked to him, which was different from my classmates.

When we were leaving, he gave me a hug and told me I made a difference in his life and that I made him actually feel normal. Now, every time he sees me in school he gives me a hug. He even calls me his sister! Some of the kids at my school think I am weird because I associate with these kids. But I know I made someone else feel happy, which ultimately increases my happiness in the end.

Service-learning has taught me a lot just from that experience. Even though I didn’t change the world, I made a difference in one person’s life. This not only made me feel happy but it made me want to become a better person too.

Note: Hear Danielle and another student Brandon’s story, by watching this inspirational video footage taken from the Service-Learning Youth Council Retreat in early December.

About Danielle: Danielle attends Willow Run High School in Ypsilanti. This is her first year serving as a member of the Service Learning Youth Council (SLYC).

2011 Global Youth Service Day – Resources You Can Use!

Written by: The Learn and Serve – Michigan Team

Efforts in Michigan
The Michigan Community Service Commission (MCSC), along with the LEAGE Michigan, and Youth Service America (YSA) are awarding $11,000 in mini-grants to Michigan organizations to host a 2011 Global Youth Service Day Project. Mini-grants will be awarded in amounts up to $500, and applications will be accepted until Monday, February 28. The application must be written by a youth who plans to participate in the planning and implementation of the project. Priority will be given to projects that focus on the following: education, health, clean energy/environmental stewardship, economic opportunity, disaster preparedness, supporting veterans and military families, or public safety. Guidelines and the application can be found at www.michigan.gov/mcsc.

Join MCSC staff on Monday, February 14, 2011 for our second installment of a free webinar on the 2011 Global Youth Service Day. More information will be shared about our mini-grant opportunity, as well as an overview of Global Youth Service Day and the importance of youth service, and ideas for collaborating with other streams of national service. The webinar will be held at 11:00 a.m. To register, click here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/222628098.

Resources in Michigan
The MCSC has provided several great resources culminating in an online 2011 Global Youth Service Day Toolkit for those who are planning GYSD projects this year. Check out www.michigan.gov/mcsc and click on 2011 Global Youth Service Day. As you explore this website, consider exploring the Global Youth Service Day Event Planning Guide. This guide offers a step-by-step method to better conceptualize your project. It includes in-depth details to help you plan your budget, event location, and minute by minute agenda. The Guide starts by asking what goals you would like to set for your project, continues by walking through the appropriate number of volunteers, and even includes questions for the project planner to better prepare for safety and emergency information for the day of the project.

Another great resource provided in this toolkit is the MCSC’s Guide to Engaging Media. Did you know, for example, the media can help build support among individuals, community leaders, and even potential funders? This guide examines what makes a good story-from the media’s perspective, different types of media releases and how to write them, how to create a media policy for your organization, and media “Do’s and “Don’ts.”

Also included in the Toolkit is a 2011 Global Youth Service Day Michigan Flyer. Feel free to print out your own copies! Hand them out and help us spread the word about 2011 Global Youth Service Day in Michigan!

What the MCSC can provide for YOU
If you have any questions related to the mini-grant process, or just need help brainstorming potential projects, please feel free to contact the MCSC. In addition, we can provide support and resources to projects that may focus on accessibility and inclusion for all people. Global Youth Service Day is a great way to introduce youth to the planning and implementing of service and service-learning projects. All youth are encouraged to participate!

Adding Creativity to the Critical Thinking in Reflection

Written by: Joan Lennon Liptrot, Executive Director of the Institute for Global Education & Service Learning

When I first began helping others understand how to integrate and implement service-learning I embraced the “What?-So What?-Now What?” approach to Reflection. It was pretty straight forward; have students think about their own experience (What?), develop in-depth understandings of related issues (So What?), and finally have opportunities to apply new knowledge (Now What?). In addition, give students a chance to talk, write, read, or do something to express each of those steps before, during, and after the service experience. Along with that, I reminded practitioners to take into account what we learned from our old friend Benjamin Bloom, and his six levels of learning and knowing (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, evaluation). Even when working with seasoned, experienced practitioners, I was often surprised how the prompts teachers used fell within the lowest three levels of that taxonomy. So when planning reflection, I encourage teachers to challenge themselves to create opportunities for students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate their learning. The other thing that became apparent was the most commonly used strategy for conveying this learning through journals. I knew reflection was an exciting and significant part of the service-learning process, we were getting to the critical thinking piece, but I still felt like we were missing something.

Then one day, at the Forum for At-Risk Youth in South Carolina, I attended a workshop by a consultant named Howard Bowden from Kentucky. In 90 minutes he had us revisit Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence and consider how this applied to Reflection in service-learning. If reflection is when the light bulb goes on for students, this was like a huge Broadway marquee for me! That’s what was missing…I’m a person with definite verbal linguistic strengths (more verbal than linguistic) so journaling just didn’t excite me (in fact the thought of having to keep an ongoing journal made me a little sweaty and nauseous). This idea that if we don’t all learn in the same way, then we don’t reflect in the same way was exciting and I’m not going to lie…it sounded like it could definitely add some creative thinking!

As I began sharing this idea with practitioners through workshops and trainings I was constantly amazed at how the adults I was working with were able to be so creative when asked to reflect in a way that matched their own personal learning style. There were songs, poems, skits, graphs, pictures, puzzles, and more! Everyone was very excited at the idea of helping students reflect in a way that was natural and comfortable for them. As teachers went back to their schools and classrooms and tried to embrace this exciting new idea to re-energize reflection they realized they were really good at creating reflection opportunities that reflected their own multiple intelligence strengths but not so great with intelligences that were not. Oh what to do?
There’s one resource I found “Service Learning for the Multiple Intelligences Classroom” by Sally Berman. It’s full of examples, tips, and tools for basic to advanced projects that are adaptable to a variety of curricular content areas and grade levels, but once again most reflection is focused on a student log.

After talking with teachers and students about what we wanted reflection to be, I decided to create a simple, easy to use resource that would not only incorporate Multiple Intelligences into Reflection, but would empower youth to direct that experience. With that, the Multiple Intelligence Reflection Cards were born. Designed to be used BY STUDENTS, each card identifies the main intelligence focus, a difficulty level, and whether the activity is best suited for before, during or after service. For more information about the cards visit our website www.igesl.org and go to the Resources section.

I’ve gotten great feedback from youth and adults with suggestions for improvements and modifications too, which are always welcome. I just hope that it helps get teachers and youth thinking critically and creatively about reflection!