Service-learning provides students with opportunities to develop civic engagement skills. By working with community members, students can enhance their group, organizational, and interpersonal skills. They also can gain important experience working with diverse members of their communities.
The resources provided by Tennessee Afterschool Network are evidence-based practices and curriculum that will help programs be intentional about building service-learning modules and strengthening relationships with youth, caregivers and community partners.
Start with understanding the issue, identifying best practices and resources your program can easily adopt, and gradually moving toward adopting additional standards that are aimed at creating a model service-learning environment.
Getting Started
A list of things to consider and a timeline to jump-start your service-learning project.
Youth Engagement
Afterschool programs can benefit from incorporating youth voice into program design. Here’s how to begin.
Service-Learning Curriculum
Here you will find a series of links to resources on curriculum building specific to service-learning courses.
Service-Learning Resources
These are additional service-learning resources and links to support your service-learning journey.
Our goal is to get youth across the state of Tennessee involved in service learning. As a youth-serving organization and community leader, you can help by partnering with us to teach your students about service learning through the events listed below. To learn more click on the link in the headline.
Follow this link to a page of service-learning case histories complete with photos and in some cases, print outs to download.
Webinar Videos
Here you can download and view a series of webinars created for afterschool and summer learning programs that wish to implement a service learning curriculum at their sites.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow Webinar #2
Dorothy, We’re Not in Kansas Anymore Webinar #3
There’s No Place Like Home Webinar #4
Service Learning Curriculum Surveys & Self-Assessment
NYLC Service-Learning Self-Assessment Rubrics for Out of School Programs
Pre/Post Survey for Grades 3 & 4 in MS Word
Pre/Post Survey for Grades 5 & 6 in MS Word
Pre/Post Survey for Grades 7 & 8 in MS Word
SEL Pre and Post Test for Service Learning Programs
Click here for the SEL Survey to administer before and after your class service learning project.
TAN Voluntary Quality Standards for Afterschool
Voluntary Quality Standards One-Pager
Voluntary Quality Standards Case Study
Voluntary Quality Standards Facilitation Guide
Voluntary Quality Standards Training Slideshow
Share Your Successes
Are you an afterschool or summer learning program in Tennessee? Tell us a little bit about yourself – who you are and what you do – and we will feature you in our weekly blog! Or, tell us about a service-learning project you’ve implemented at your program, and we’ll write about that. Email mary.graham@uwtn.org with your name and contact information, the name of the program, a few photos, and a description of your service-learning project. We will contact you within a few days for additional information. Thanks for sharing!