Well-designed afterschool and summer learning programs can equip youth with experiences, civic engagement, communication, and leadership skills necessary to contribute to their schools and communities in meaningful ways. Service-learning and youth leadership programs offer youth the opportunity to take on significant roles and create effective youth-led initiatives, with the guidance of caring adults. Youth who are given the chance to develop civic and leadership skills can then apply them in their future education, careers, communities, and lives.
Service Learning
Service-learning basics. New to service learning? These resources and examples will help get you started!
Service-Learning Research & Impacts
K-12 Service Learning Standards National Youth Leadership Council
Service Learning Afterschool National Youth Leadership Council
Guideposts to a Meaningful Service-Learning Program CBK Associates
The Five Stages of Service Learning CBK Associates
Four C’s Skills for OST Susan Abravanel Consulting LLC
Meaningful Reflection: A Practical Approach Principal Leadership
- An article examining the importance of incorporating reflection into the service-learning process
Service-Learning Artifacts: Seeing student-made service-learning products is a great way to see this strategy in action. Click HERE to see snippets from over two dozen elementary, middle, and high school service-learning artifacts made by students to serve their communities and schools.
Youth Leadership
Youth Leadership in Action J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development
“This is Their House, Too”: An Afterschool Space Designed for and by Teenagers Harvard Family Research Project
Career Toolkit Adobe Youth Voices
YSA Knowledge Center Youth Save America
Youth Leadership Toolkit National Resource Center for Youth Development
Building Transformative Leadership Funders’ Collaborative on Youth Organizing