Disclaimer: Many apologies for the confusion of reading these submissions for Glenn Tobey's class. Kia submitted the group project from Kari and Joyce and had trouble with conversions from Pegasus to Word to class submission. If you would like to see the project in its entirety, please call. Thanks for your understanding!

Service Learning FamL 5665 M.Ed. Extension Cohort Kia Harries Extension Educator

Service learning sparked a real interest for me as I saw a connection with the 4-H program I work with on a daily basis. The motto of 4-H is "learning by doing." What a terrific connection to the concepts I have learned about service learning. The significant component of service learning for me is that young people learn and develop through thoughtfully organized service that meets the needs of a community and includes structured time to reflect on the service experience. In the 4-H program, service learning is a component of the overall 4-H structure. In 4-H, the service learning is called "Community Pride," and clubs as a whole take on a project that benefits the community. Projects could include walking road ditches, helping with tornado or flood clean-up, collecting items for people in need, making and delivering items for sr. citizens, and many other projects identified by the community. The club goes through a process that includes working with the community to identify the need, organizing within the club, encouraging members to see civic roles, and ties the project to ongoing member projects. The missing element is the structured time for reflection. One of the groups I work with is the 4-H Ambassadors, which is a leadership development program and also promotes 4-H, for young people age 13-18. There are 20- 25 members who serve as 4-H Ambassadors in the county. They apply to the program and explain their strengths and talents which would make them a good nominee to the program. All candidates are accepted into the program. At the first meeting, the group sets guidelines for attendance, as well as participating in other opportunities. It is very much a process they establish on their own. I serve in the role of facilitator to the group. At this first meeting, we get acquainted with one another and learn of interests and skills of each person. A brainstorming session is essential to begin the planning for the year and what programming will occur. The Ambassadors have a variety of activities on their list, some of which are tradition to do, while others are new. It then becomes their responsibility to carry out the activities, including planning and follow through. The energy and enthusiasm of this group is a reason why the ideas and projects are carried out and successful. The Ambassadors recognize their role of promotion as being an important one to promoting the positive things young people can do for a community, as well as promoting 4-H. They are often asked by community organizations to help at events, such as pancake feeds or parades and they agree because of the visibility they receive. There is often no learning as a component of this experience, but they do recognize their role in civic responsibility. Due to their involvement in many of these types of activities, they have recognized two events they wanted to be involved in and planned them.

1) Santa's Workshop: The Ambassadors worked with a local bank to help plan and support this event. The Ambassadors worked on committees with the bank employees to plan stations for the attendees to make Christmas gifts, plan for wrapping of gifts and needed materials, as well as to provide an area for parents to wait for their children. Santa's workshop is promoted to children ages 3 years old - fourth grade in Jackson County. Ambassadors and bank employees staffed the event. 2) Christmas Babysitting: The Ambassadors saw a need to allow parents to do Christmas preparation without the kids around. The Ambassadors planned an event to babysit and keep kids busy for an afternoon while parents were able to complete shopping, baking, wrapping, etc., without the kids around. The Ambassadors did all the planning, including snacks, movies, games, crafts and gym activities. They were in charge of registration and leading activities or working in small groups with young people, ages 3- 10. My role in this event was as facilitator, and in some cases trouble shooter, as the Ambassadors experienced challenges in their activities or with the children. I asked the questions that made them think of other situations and possibilities, reminded them of age expectations and safety issues. The Ambassadors took on several projects, but these two examples best show the service learning as a community need, and reflection about the experience. The reflection process showed the Ambassadors learned from all the planning, the hands-on experience the day of the event and the fun they had. They are all definitely important learnings for the Ambassadors.

Santa's Workshop

Preparation The Ambassadors formed a relationship with the bank to sponsor the event. The following committees were formed, with their responsibilities listed. Gift Stations: Identify gift ideas for the kids who attend to make for their parents Create supply list and gather materials Make two samples of each gift for kids to see as examples Line up help for each station and provide directions for gift Wrapping Center Ask for donations of wrapping paper and boxes Create supply list and gather materials Line up help to staff the wrapping center Parents Waiting Room Arrange for an area for parents to wait for their children Purchase juice and cookies and needed supplies Clean up room when finished Registration Desk Provide supplies for gift tags and name tags Answer questions for parents and children attending Wait with children until parents return

Performing Staff Registration Desk and Gift Tag Center Explain to adults the process and staff the parent room Staff each gift station and explain project to children Assist young people with making of gifts at each station Help wrap gifts and label with gift tags for children to take home Clean up at completion of event

Reflect During the event there was much discussion of how event was going and what to change or add based on reaction of children and parents. Parent and community comments influenced direction of reflection as it was well received. Other reflection occurred at the next meeting when Ambassadors were asked to evaluate the event.

Christmas Babysitting

Preparation The Ambassadors chose a date and location to host the event. Deciding age limits, cost and activities was necessary. Committees were formed for Snacks, Crafts and Games. Committee notes were turned in to explain their planning and a follow-up letter was sent to each Ambassador as a reminder of what to bring on the day of the event. Advertising was created by the Ambassadors and submitted to the 4-H newsletter, local newspapers, and church mailers. They also spoke on the radio to promote this event.

Performing The Ambassadors were in charge of the event, from greeting and registering kids to collecting fees. They lead all activities, crafts, snack preparation and worked with kids on one to one or small group basis. I served as a facilitator and trouble shooter, to solve problems or provide guidance as needed.

Reflecting I took notes as the activity progressed, noting comments and suggestions from Ambassadors. Some reflection occurred as parents picked up children and provided feedback, while other reflection occurred at a follow up meeting where Ambassadors conducted their own evaluation of the event by surveying committees about their success or challenges.

As I reviewed the process and progress for the two projects the Ambassadors have undertaken, I can see the strengths and weaknesses very clearly. The Ambassadors do very well on the preparation and performing aspects of an event. I believe this is due to the time dedicated prior to the event and the Ambassadors know that if they don't plan and prepare, the risk of failure or unexpected twists pop up. This is also a portion of the process they are very used to and expect to encounter in order to accomplish a task. The weakness to the Ambassador events is the reflection process, where they are not accustomed to the formal review of an event. They have been asked in the past if they felt an event was successful or if there were things they would change or do differently, but very little time has ever been spent on the process. I will continue to add reflection time to the planning and evaluation process for events with the Ambassadors. I believe this will be very essential for the success of programs in the future, as many activities are held on an annual basis.

Researching Other Youth Organizations

When this project was presented to us in class, two co-workers and I decided to focus on programs being done within 4-H, that we were working with in our counties. As an extension of this project, we chose to examine other youth organizations and see how they addressed the experiential learning, project based learning, and service learning components. I chose the Girl Scouts and the Boys and Girls Clubs to evaluate. Both organizations are similar to 4-H, as the membership can begin in early elementary school. Another similarity is the adults who work with programs and that they are community sponsored and supported, not commonly linked with schools or churches, etc. The mission of the Boys and Girls Clubs is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Trained youth professionals provide children with positive role models and mentors, as well as volunteers who provide supplementary support from within the community. The Girl Scouts of America has four fundamental goals that express how girls may benefit from the Girl Scout experience. 1) develop to full individual potential 2) relate to others with increasing understanding, skill and respect 3) develop values to guide actions and to provide the foundation for sound decision making 4) contribute to the improvement of society through the use of abilities and leadership skills, working in cooperation with others. Girl Scouts also have staff as well as volunteers to serve as role models, mentors and leaders. The similarities of Boys and Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts and 4-H are easy to recognize. The ages of youth served, the leadership by adults and the significance of volunteers are very noticeable. Promoting the young person and helping them to achieve skills that will benefit them later in life are extremely important and is evident in the mission. There are not many differences that are easy to recognize, beyond the fact that Girl Scouts is exclusively for girls. The Boys and Girls Clubs does mention how young people from disadvantaged situations, but all the organizations serve young people of all needs and backgrounds. I was pleasantly surprised at the commonalities of the three organizations. The fact that all have adults who are active and involved with young people is essential to me, assuring me that young people have a relationship with an adult. The shared philosophies of developing skills for the future indicates the desire to help young people achieve the status of productive, responsible, and caring citizens as they become adults.

Sources: www.fourhcouncil.org www.bgca.org www.gsusa.org

-- Anonymous, March 03, 2000