Teaching about Volunteering

Why we created this area: This section was an outgrowth of a hot topic Susan wrote in August 2006 entitled: Start Early: Teaching Students about Volunteering, Not Simply Doing It. In this hot topic, she pointed out that there have been remarkably few elementary or high school curriculum materials to 1) first educate teachers about volunteering, and then, 2) help them teach their students about the historical and current role of community involvement by citizens.  We asked people to share the programs and educational materials they knew about.  Below is a growing collection, please add to it!

Flexible Volunteering
Our company, Humanity In Practice, has designed a volunteer program for children under 12.  HIPkids, http://www.behip.ca/about.htm, is a unique way for school children, Guide/Scout groups and families to make a difference from anywhere.  This program runs ten months a year and comes to the volunteer in the form of a fun project that they can do in their own time which helps the agency!  We promote these projects on a colored poster given to each coordinator so they can choose which projects they wish to do.  For example, an agency we just supported has an annual fundraising gala that requires a lot of time and effort from the staff.  One of the tasks the staff needs to do is to create table centerpieces each year to reflect the theme.  This year, HIPkids made the table centerpieces which will be proudly sitting at the tables and throughout the gala.  The children made a difference by helping the agency with a time consuming task so that the staff could focus on other things!

Our program is popular because it is simple and flexible—and, since starting this 4 years ago, we have had youth and senior groups ask us to become HIPkids! The agencies enjoy this program too as it costs nothing to participate and there are no risk management issues, recruiting, training or supervision involved!
Submitted on 29 February 2008 by Janica Fisher, Humanity in Practice, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

A Trail to Every Classroom
In an effort to teach about volunteerism and sustain and grow the current volunteer base of the Appalachian Trail (5000+ providing 200,000+ hours) we created a new professional development program for teachers (K-12) promoting environmental activism and healthy lifestyles by using the Appalachian Trail as an educational resource. Modeled after the highly successful Forest for Every Classroom program in Vermont (See www.peecworks.org for more information.)
Submitted on 7 August 2006 by Rita Hennessy, National Park Service, Community Outreach Specialist, Harpers Ferry, WV USA

Exploring Core Values
Over the last 4 years I have developed and been involved in delivering a 3 day interactive experiential programme to Year 9 students (aged 13-14) which helps them to identify their core values, which in turn helps them to identify how they can put into practice the active citizenship part of the Year 10 onwards school curriculum. Attached is an outline of the curriculum.  Information about the national curriculum and specifically citizenship can be found on various websites and  I would start with www.curriculumonline.gov.uk, www.qca.org.uk or www.nc.uk.net.
Submitted on 7 August 2006 by Debbie Usiskin, Norwood
Head of Volunteering Services, London United Kingdom

Bolivian National Volunteer Center provides curriculum and methodology
The Bolivian National Volunteer Center - CEBOFIL - (www.cebofil.org) introduces service-learning practices in public and private schools and universities.  The methodology and curriculum outreaches and includes deans, teachers, school principles, parents, and the students -- teaching them, setting up focus groups, seminars, programs, projects that talk about social responsibility linked to volunteering, linked to strengthening democracy, linked to civic education, linked to solidarity and strengthening the third sector with support from the Inter-American Foundation and the W.K.Kellogg Foundation.

There is an outline in Spanish that is posted on our website www.cebofil.org under La Comunidad Como Lugar de Aprendizaje and/or PASO JOVEN and that of www.pasojoven.org.

We can provide trainings and have in the past shared our experiencies through emails, sometimes we have requested a minimal support fee, when anyone is interested and we have extended our outreach by looking to build partnerships with any Volunteer Center in the USA or Canada that would be that "sister-city volunteer center" with the same interests.
Submitted on 4 August 2006 by Silvia M. Landers, Centro Boliviano de Filantropia y President/CEO, Santa Cruz BOLIVIA

Citizenship and the National Curriculum
Here in England The Citizenship Foundation has been doing some work for awhile with 11-16 year olds through the citizenship aspect of the national curriculum under the brand of G-Nation (http://www.g-nation.co.uk/). This looks at all aspects of young people's engagement with charities etc. and includes volunteering.
Submitted on 2 August 2006 by Rob Jackson, Volunteering England, Regional Volunteering Development Manager, Grantham England

 

Share Your Wisdom