Community Service Graduation Requirement
The Lincoln Public Schools has established a 20-hour Community Service requirement for graduation to meet the mission statement for Civics and Government:
- Students will demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for living in a democracy and becoming a contributing member of society.
- Service-Learning in Government and Politics Video
Purpose: For over three decades, students in Lincoln Public Schools have completed required community service as a necessary component to meet goals and objectives of their senior level civics / government class. When you graduate from Lincoln Public Schools, this experience will help you to be an informed and contributing member of society prepared for college, career, and civic-life. Through your engagement with your community, you will be able to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are essential for living in a democratic society.
You are unable to earn a grade in Government and Politics until this requirement is complete. To complete this requirement, you will need to engage in at least 20 hours of community service. Along with the community service hours, you will complete valuable coursework to learn about the people and issues agencies in our community aim to address. This will happen as part of your Government & Politics class through research on community issues and agencies, opportunities to communicate and collaborate with community agencies, and reflection on your service experiences.
You are able to begin completing your 20 hours of community service as soon as your junior year ends. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year, you will be required to complete 5 of your 20 hours during the semester in which you are enrolled in Government and Politics. Your experience will be more meaningful as your teachers work side-by-side with you as you reflect and complete coursework connected to your experiences.
Lincoln is a community rich in diversity with countless community agencies willing to partner with schools and students to allow for meaningful community service experiences.Please see below for a list of approved community agencies to help you get started. If there is an organization that is not on this list, please consult with your Government & Politics teacher. If the agency is a non-profit organization and you are completing secular, non-paid service outside of your school day, then it will likely be approved. If the agency is not on the list, it is important that you ask for approval from your teacher or school before you complete your service!
Resources for Service Learning Hours:
- VolunteerLinc: this website includes approved volunteer locations.VolunteerLinc is Lincoln/Lancaster County’s network for local service. They connect people, businesses and nonprofit organizations of the community with the correct service opportunities by learning their passions and skill sets. By connecting willing volunteers with activities and programs, VolunteerLinc seeks to maximize the positive impact of local volunteerism.As the face of social responsibility expands and evolves, organizations are expected to do more with less. VolunteerLinc identifies and gathers the resources to help them make the greatest possible impact. They are committed to identifying, focusing on and responding to critical social needs and mobilizing the enormous energy and talent of our citizens through civic engagement and community service.
- Community Service Contract for GoPo (Document Link) This is the official document that will be handed in to log and meet the district requirement.
- Community Service Parent Letter (Document Link) This letter should be signed to verify understanding of requirements.
- Volunteer Hours Handbook 2018: This is the updated district directory of approved organizations.
Assignments/Reflections: All students will undergo understanding and defining service learning by experiencing volunteerism in Lincoln. Each student will reflect before, during, and after their volunteering as a 3-part summative process. All students will need to have 10 hours completed by the midterm in order to be eligible to complete the midterm. They will need to have ALL 20 hours completed by the end of the term they are enrolled in the course.
Assignments:
- Service Learning Pre-Flection
- Service Learning Project
- Mid-Term Service Learning Reflection
- Final-Service Learning Reflection Outline
Evidence of why it service learning matters: Why Helping Others Makes Us Happy – US News and World Report
Five Reasons to volunteer…
Three are “selffocused”:
1. Understanding: the desire to learn new things and acquire knowledge.
2. Esteem enhancement: feeling better about yourself and finding greater stability in life.
3. Personal development: acquiring new skills, testing your capabilities, and stretching yourself.
Two are “otherfocused”:
4. Sense of community: making the world, or your piece of it, better.
5. Humanitarian values: serving and helping others, often with a strong religious component.