Org Toolkit:Strengthening Community Connections Through Service-Learning

Service-learning is a powerful, national movement to change the community and build the next generation of caring, engaged citizens. Service-learning takes the concept of volunteerism to new heights by using reflection to connect the volunteer experience with academic and civic learning. It goes beyond the concept of charity and “hour counting” to help those who serve, explore underlying causes and possible solutions for issues, examine the role of service and engagement in a democracy, and inspire a deeper life-long commitment to making a positive change in the world. In this interactive, hands-on workshop participants will explore how service-learning differs from volunteerism, the process of turning a volunteer experience into a service-learning experience, how organizations can infuse service-learning best practices into their volunteer programs, and how teachers/staff who work with youth can create service-learning experiences for their participants. Attendees will also learn about the concept of critical reflection and develop a plan to incorporate it into their work. Additionally, you will learn about civic engagement efforts at Miami Dade College’s eight campuses and how to partner with the college.

This workshop is for you if you are:

• An organization that utilizes volunteers
• A teacher/faculty/staff who works with students
• A volunteer manager/staff who works with volunteers
• An organization that wants to develop a volunteer program
• An organization that works with youth/students

About the speaker:

Josh Young is the director of Miami Dade College’s Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy where he oversees all service-learning and America Reads activities, as well as numerous other campus-community partnership and civic engagement initiatives. Josh has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Virginia and master’s degrees in social work and public administration from Florida State University where he was named “Social Work Student of the Year” for his work with the low-income migrant community in Gadsden County and his academic achievements. Josh served two tours with the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa and Paraguay, South America – during his almost 5 years living overseas, he worked and lived in rural villages without running water or electricity. Josh also led community service programs for youth for four summers in the Dominican Republic with Visions International. Josh has been a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami for more than twenty years and was named Big Brother of the Year for the State of Florida in 2010. Josh has worked at Miami Dade College since 1994. MDC’s service-learning program now involves more than 275 faculty, 7500 students, and 200 community partners annually – and more than 100,000 MDC students have given back to the community through service-learning under Josh’s leadership. Josh has been a national service-learning mentor with the American Association of Community Colleges and has extensive experience leading workshops for faculty, students, community partners, and administrators around the nation and received the 2012 Student Development Advancement Award from the Association of Florida Colleges and the 2018 Thomas E. Gamble Award from Florida Campus Compact.

Fees: Free for Active C4SC Members | $10 for General Public