Service learning is the development and application of knowledge and skills towards meeting an identified and authentic community need. In this research-based approach, you will often undertake service initiatives related to topics you studied previously in your academic disciplines, utilising skills, understandings and values developed in these studies.

Service learning builds upon your prior knowledge and background, enabling you to make links between your academic disciplines and your service experiences. Service learning provides opportunities for you to apply your interests, skills and talents along with academic knowledge towards the common good while being observant of your personal development and the impact of your actions. The purpose is for you to contribute to society by improving the lives of people or assisting the environment or animals.

Your engagement in the process of service learning will further your enthusiasm is your chosen subjects as you find meaning by bridging classroom content with purposeful action.

The aims of service learning are for you to:

• Develop and apply knowledge and skills towards meeting an authentic community need

• Develop as leader who takes initiative, solve problems and work collaboratively with others

• Enjoy the experiences of both learning and service

• Develop a sense of caring about, and a responsibility for, others

• Gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your community and society through meaningful reflection

• Enhance and strengthen your experience with the existing school curriculum.

The following outlines some different types of Service:

• Direct service:

Service that involves direct interaction with a targeted cause, whether it is people, the natural environment, or animals. Examples include developing a waste management policy for a chosen community, holding craft lessons at an elderly persons home, or tutoring students with learning difficulties.

• Indirect service:

Service that has a verified benefit to the targeted cause, but you do not see those you aim to support. Examples include developing promotional material for an NGO, developing materials to support improvements in literacy, updating the website for an orphanage located overseas, organising a concert to benefit a local NGO, or joining an environmental cause such as Earth Hour.

• Advocacy:

Get involved in supporting an issue of public interest by promoting the cause or concern. Examples include joining or initiating an awareness campaign about the plight of a local waterway, submitting articles to local media on issues of poverty in the local community, creating a video on improving waste disposal in the community and posting it online, advocating for an awareness campaign on hunger.

• Research:

Focusing on a particular issue of public interest, collect information from a variety of sources then synthesise it to produce material that can be used to influence change in practices and policy. Examples include collecting data to support species population studies, produce a report on the need for rehabilitation of natural environments, or submit a research paper aiming to alter school practices or procedures.

A minimum of 50 hours is expected to be devoted to service learning and you must give service learning as much importance as any other element of the CP.

Completion of service learning is based on your achievement of the five service learning outcomes. You are required to maintain and complete a service learning portfolio as evidence of your engagement with service learning throughout the programme and of application of the five stages of service learning.

The 5 Learning Outcomes are:

LO 1 Identify own strengths and develop area for growth

Descriptor - Students are able to see themselves as individuals with various abilities and skills of which some are more developed than others.

LO 2 Demonstrate participation with service learning experiences

Descriptor - Students can articulate the five stages from investigation and conceiving an idea to executing a plan for a service learning experience or series of service learning experiences. Students may show their knowledge and awareness by building on a pervious service learning experience, or by launching a new idea or process, or by advancing the work of others. This may be accomplished in collaboration with other participants.

LO 3 Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively

Descriptor - Students are able to identify and critically discuss the benefits and challenges of collaboration gained through service learning experience.

LO 4 Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance

Descriptor - Students are able to identify and demonstrate their understanding of global issues, make responsible decisions and take appropriate action in response to the issue either locally, nationally or internationally.

LO 5 Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Descriptor - Students show awareness of the consequences of choices and actions in planning and carrying out service

Evidence and reflections in your SL portfolio are one way you can demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. You can also show that you have achieved them in the interviews with your SL Advisor (Tutors)

Your CAS/SL coordinator decides if you have met the conditions of CAS.

First term - Getting started

Plan and initiate at least one SL project using the SL stages framework. Collect evidence and undertake meaningful reflection.

Meet with your SL advisor or coordinator to consider the balance of activities you have chosen and ask any questions you might have about SL.

Second and third term - Review and adapt

Review your balance in terms of studying commitments, academic progress and SL Project. Consider whether your experiences are providing you with the opportunity to work on all the learning outcomes.

If you have any gaps, make a plan to adapt your programme by adjusting your current experiences or becoming involved with new experiences.

Summer holiday - Reflect

Use this time to make sure you are all up to date with your portfolio of evidence and reflections. Reflect on your Project so far. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you want to continue with all your activities from last academic year? Perhaps you would like to take on a different role, or stop an activity altogether and start something different.

• Can you undertake some experiences over the holiday that balances your portfolio better?

Fourth term - Finding balance

By now you should have met all of the SL learning outcomes at least once. This is a busy time for students, so consider how you are managing university applications and academic commitments alongside SL. Are you getting everything you can or want out of your SL experiences? Is there anything you want or need to change about your SL programme?

Fifth term - Final steps

Complete all your evidence and reflections ahead of your Exit Interview with your SL advisor (Tutor)

You should now have completed SL and will be able to concentrate on your exams. By all means, carry on with your experiences if you enjoy them and are able. Many students continue with experiences and projects long after they complete the requirements or even the Career Programme.

You are expected to use and make reference to the 5 stages of service learning. This is tool to help you develop guide you through the planning and organisation of your SL Project.

Though the design of the SL stages allows for them to be followed sequentially, this may not always be the case. In some situations you may find yourself going back and forth between the investigation and preparation stages, or at times you may need to go from the action stage back to the preparation stage to help refine or improve your planning.

You must get involved in minimum 1 project (you can work collaboratively with CAS students for your project). You are required to work with others (a partner or a larger group) in the planning, delivery and evaluation of your projects. The roles that various members play should be clearly defined in your action plan, which is developed during the Preparation stage of your project. Because your project is a major undertaking, much work is required before you can go ahead and act. All SL projects should use the SL stages as a framework, with the duration and complexity of the Investigation and Preparation stages very likely to be at a higher level than in an experience. A minimum of one month’s duration is recommended.

SL Project examples:

• Creating a film to raise awareness of a community or global issue

• Come up with innovative solutions to community issues: waste management system for example.

• Organise a sporting event to raise funds or awareness

• Raising awareness of a global issue through a focused campaign

• Helping asylum seekers and migrants to integrate into the culture and community of their new home country

• Creating a social enterprise addressing a community need

• Initiating a campaign that replaces bullying with respect for all within the school

• Producing a film on working with a charity or group in need

Reflection is the process by which you turn an experience into learning.

Reflection helps you to see what you have achieved.

Reflection makes links between your experiences and the future.

Reflection gives you feedback and helps you to generate your own questions.

Reflection should help you to gain a better understanding of yourself, and of others.

Reflection is a required part of the programme but it shouldn’t be too arduous! You can reflect in any way which suits you.

If you like writing then record your thoughts in a journal.

If you love taking photographs, then take and upload photos - but try to also add a comment.

If you are into vlogging, then create, edit and upload a video.

Perhaps you are a good talker, then record an audio reflection.

If you do some other style of offline reflection, just make a note about it, photograph ? it or digitally scan it to add to your portfolio.

The focus of your reflection should be affective. Try to move beyond just giving a commentary of what your experiences and actions were, and talk about how you felt and how the experience will change you in the future.

A useful structure to follow might be:

• Describe what happened - retell your memorable moments, identify what was important or influential, what went well or was difficult, obstacles and successes.

• Express feelings - how do you feel about your experiences?

• Generate ideas - re-examine the choices you made and the actions you took.

• Ask questions - what questions do you have about people, processes or issues as a result of your experiences

You could also reflect on which of the learning outcomes you think you are achieving, and why.

Reflection is very personal but it doesn’t have to be totally individual. You could undertake some group reflection exercises or meet with a peer or an adult in order to reflect.

Reflection does not only happen at the end of a process.

Stopping to think before, during and after an experience can really add value to it for you.

Evidence is different from reflection; it is just information that corroborates you have done what you are claiming. A photo is evidence; a photo with commentary explaining how you felt about it is the beginning of reflection.

It is good practice to keep adding evidence and reflections little and often to your SL portfolio. You can use your smartphone to add directly to your SL portfolio via the ManageBac app .

Quality of your reflection is more important than the number of brief reflections. Don’t let recording your evidence and reflection take away from the value of your experiences, it should add to them.

Interview One

This interview is to check that you have started your SL experiences, you are reflecting/evidencing and you understand the programme.

You have a lot of choice in your SL programme, but with that comes a lot of responsibility to actually do something!

Interview Two

Normally held towards the end of Year 12.

This interview helps reflection and checks progress towards meeting all of the requirements and learning outcomes.

Again, you have both freedom and responsibility. You are responsible for meeting the requirements of SL; your SL advisor is there to guide and support you through the process.

Interview Three

This happens towards the end of the programme. This is a chance to think back on what you have achieved and to check that you have finished. It should almost be a chance to celebrate a job well done.

If everything has gone well this is a real celebration! If you have not completed the requirements then your SL coordinator may give you very specific things you need to do now if you want to gain your diploma.

Although there is an expectation of three formal SL interviews if you have any questions or issues with your SL experiences, programme or project you should seek help from your SL coordinator.