Service-Learning

Civic Engagement - Civic Reflection Project

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

Find and contact three potential organizations where a person could volunteer.
Apply an understanding of course topics to previous volunteer experiences.
Reflect upon personal attitudes and beliefs both prior and after the service.
Identify personal values related to civic engagement.
Reflect upon personal communication skills within the context of the service.

Steps in the Process

Through the class schedule you are going to engage in a number of graded and ungraded activities that will lead you through the process of developing a quality civic reflection project. These steps are outlined in the Course Navigator. Descriptions of each step are also included as links in this section of the course.

The steps in the Service-Learning process are:

Locate three organizations, events, or a self-designed public education programs at which a person could volunteer.
Complete the Resource Quiz with information for the three organizations found.
Complete your Reflection Paper based upon previous volunteer experience(s)

Scroll down to see specific information related to each of these steps

Step 1: Locate three organizations, evenst, or a self-designed public education programs at which a person could volunteer.

Nearly everything you can think of is probably good:

Civic Organizations
Political organizations
Health Advocacy (like the Lung Association, American Cancer Society, etc.)
Fund Raisers (schools, clubs, organizations)
Civic Involvement (school boards, town boards, running for office)
Church (teaching Sunday School, community work, etc.)
Coaching
Teaching Classes

Ideas that do not fit this project:

One-on-one personal care
Working for a family member
Work that would otherwise go to a paid employee

The KVCC Center for Civic Engagement maintains a website where opportunities are advertised. Check the graphic to visit the website!

Step 2: Complete the Resource Quiz

Locate the "Resource Quiz" in your course.

You will encounter three sets of the same three questions. Complte each set of three questions for each of the three organizations you have contacted. (You will encounter a total of nine questions.)

Name of the organization that you have contacted about volunteer opportunities.
Contact information for the organizations with a contact person (phone, address, email, etc.)
A detailed description of at least ONE volunteer position at this organization.

Step 3: Complete your Reflection Paper

The point of this paper is to get you to reflect upon your previous service and how it relates to you as a person, a citizen, and as a student.

Use the rubric below as a guide to writing your paper. You are encouraged to organize your paper into sections that cover each aspect of the grading rubric, but be mindful that within each section, your writing needs to be in narrative format.

Your paper should be 5-7 pages long. Include a title page (not included in the page count) and a references page (also not counted in the page count). Make sure that the title page, the paper, and the references are all ONE DIGITAL FILE...do not send separate files.

Title Page	Includes name, course name, semester, date, professor's name, the name of this assignment. APA format.	0
Introduction	Introduce your service experience in a 1-paragraph summary.	10
Diversity of Communities and Cultures	Reflect upon your own attitudes and beliefs both before and after this experience. Reflect on ways these attitudes and beliefs have changed as a result of working in this diverse situation and on how you feel this change contributes to your ability to promote civic engagement to others.	10
Analysis of Knowledge	Sociology Topic Application #1: Topic name is in bold typeface as a title to this section Define the topic from a reliable source (textbook, website, journal article) and cite your source (in-text citation here and in your References section later) Tell a 1-paragraph story that shows how your experience relates to the topic. Your story must use the topic terms and definition and must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the topic	15
Analysis of Knowledge	Sociology Topic Application #2: Topic name is in bold typeface as a title to this section Define the topic from a reliable source (textbook, website, journal article) and cite your source (in-text citation here and in your References section later) Tell a 1-paragraph story that shows how your experience relates to the topic. Your story must use the topic terms and definition and must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the topic	15
Analysis of Knowledge	Sociology Topic Application #3: Topic name is in bold typeface as a title to this section Define the topic from a reliable source (textbook, website, journal article) and cite your source (in-text citation here and in your References section later) Tell a 1-paragraph story that shows how your experience relates to the topic. Your story must use the topic terms and definition and must clearly demonstrate your understanding of the topic	15
Civic Role of the College Student or Future Profession	Provide some examples of specific things you did, engaged in, or experienced that may have reinforced or clarified your personal sense of civic duty and commitment to public action. Reflect upon your own role in your service and any leadership actions you might have engaged in (decision making, idea generation, contributions to discussions, etc.). What do you think you accomplished?	10
Civic Communicaiton	Reflect upon how you have worked with others in and around your service experience. Describe ways in which you have applied your own communication skills and/or modified your communication in order to build relationships with those individuals.	10
References	Cite all your sources in APA format. This should be the last page of your paper and should be titled "References".	5
Mechanics	Spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, etc.	10