On May 22, middle and high school Green Team members participated in the third annual Sustainability Showcase as a culmination of their work in the Race Against Waste program. Program participants and student representatives shared the innovative ways they have been combating waste in NYC by reducing their use of disposable items and reusing items in creative ways. There was a wide variety of projects, and all who attended left inspired to help create a cleaner, greener planet.
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Elementary students from across New York City came together at The New School in Manhattan to participate in the sixth annual Service in Schools (SIS) Youth Service Summit. High school student leaders led the Summit as the culmination of their participation in April’s week long Service in Schools Service Leadership Institute. These high school leaders planned and led engaging lessons and service projects for students in grades 3-5 that addressed issues that impact NYC communities: homelessness, pollution, hunger, health, and animal welfare.

Elementary school students created animal adoption kits, decorated tote bags to promote water conservation, designed pipe cleaner “flowers” to bring cheer and information to soup kitchen guests, packed fitness kits with exercise suggestions for children, and made kits for children in shelters that included journals with encouraging messages. These service projects were donated to
The Humane Society of New York
,
Kids in the Game (KING)
,
Gowanus Canal Conservancy
,
The Bowery Mission
,
and
Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen
. The Youth Service Summit also included a fun and inspiring performance from beatboxer
Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan
, who motivated students to use their talents and passions to contribute to their community. After learning, taking action, and reflecting on their service, elementary and high school students alike were empowered to serve as agents of change in their own communities
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20K200 P.S. 200 Benson School
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Project Overview:
As part of the Service in Schools Kids Action Team program, the students at P.S. 200 in Brooklyn are advocating for anti-puppy mill legislation in New York State. The Kids Action Team created a video to persuade over 200 New York State Senators and Assembly Members to pass legislation to end puppy mills.
Investigation:
After researching many community issues, the students voted to protect animal rights by advocating for the elimination of puppy mills. They learned that puppy mills breed animals for profit, often in inhumane conditions, and most pet stores and internet breeders source their animals from puppy mills. Through their research, they discovered that the New York State Senate and Assembly had just introduced two new bills prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs and cats. This legislation would make great strides in cracking down on puppy mills, so the students decided to advocate for their representatives to vote yes on it.
Preparation:
Students created a video to send to their legislators. They analyzed public service announcements as models and decided that appealing to the emotions of the legislators by explaining the cruelty of puppy mills would be the most powerful way to get their message across. Finally, because they planned to email their message to their legislators, they checked the accuracy of over 200 email addresses.
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Action and Demonstration:
The students emailed their video to their New York State Senators and Assembly Members. Since sending their video, they have received responses from some of them, including the Speaker of the Assembly, Carl Heastie. The Kids Action Team is monitoring the progress of the bills during this legislative session. Finally, the students presented to their school’s Parent Teacher Association to ask them to contact their Senators and Assembly Members to vote for these bills.
Reflection:
According to Ms. Eleanor Della Sala, the Kids Action Team facilitator, this project was a positive experience for all. The students who participated in this Kids Action Team were excited to serve a community need through their research, creative and persuasive writing, public speaking, government involvement, art, and group work, and they are looking forward to continuing their fight against puppy mills in the years to come.
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Current and Upcoming Opportunities
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New York Blood Center
Ongoing Opportunity for Students Ages 16 and Up
Help save lives in the community by providing a positive experience for donors at mobile blood drives.
New York Blood Center
is looking for Volunteer Ambassadors to ensure a safe and smooth process for blood donors. Volunteer activities include meeting and greeting blood donors, explaining how to register forms and information relevant to donors, providing a safe and pleasant post-donation experience, and more. At larger blood drives, volunteers may be able to dress as Heroglobin, the life-saving blood drop. Participants must be 16 years or older and have a desire to help, excellent communication skills with attention to detail and accuracy, and mobility in order to attend to donors.
Learn more about volunteering
and
begin the application process.
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Bowery Mission
Volunteer Meal Service Opportunities for Students 14 and Up
The
Bowery Mission
has been providing help and hope to those experiencing homelessness in New York City for 140 years. Their combined program sites serve more than 1,000 meals per day to men and women who are living on the streets or otherwise in crisis and poverty. Volunteers help to prepare, serve, and clean up breakfast, lunch or dinner alongside staff at 227 Bowery. During the lunch shift volunteers help to prep dinner as well, and there may also be opportunities to help sort and organize food donations. This opportunity is for groups of 8-12 volunteers, depending on the shift, and is for ages 14 and up. All minors under 18 must bring a signed release from a parent or legal guardian, and the ratio of adult chaperones to minors in the group must be at least one adult chaperone to four minors. This is The Bowery Mission’s most popular volunteer opportunity, and bookings are made at least one month in advance. Breakfast shifts are from 7:30-9:30am, lunch shifts from 9:30am-2:30pm, and dinner shifts from 5:30-7:30pm, seven days a week.
Learn more about volunteering
and email
volunteer@bowery.org
with questions.
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New York Restoration Project Forest Crew
Ongoing Opportunity for High School Students
High school students interested in protecting the environment can volunteer on Sundays in Highbridge Park with
New York Restoration Project
Forest Crew. This volunteer program is open to community members who wish to improve the health of the forest by identifying and removing invasive plants on a weekly, bi-monthly, and monthly basis. High school students, environmental enthusiasts, and those who are looking to enter the green collar field are strongly encouraged to attend regularly and to view this as an apprenticeship opportunity. Priority registration will be given to regular and repeat volunteers if attendance approaches program capacity. Email
volunteer@nyrp.org
to RSVP and
learn more here
.
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Karma for Cara Foundation Microgrants
Upcoming Deadline: July 1
Karma for Cara Foundation
(K4C) focuses on creating opportunities for youth engagement and volunteerism in communities and supporting the well-being of cancer patients and their families. In an effort to support youth volunteerism, K4C runs a Youth Microgrant program. Youth 18 years of age and under are encouraged to apply for funds between $250 and $1,000 to complete service projects in their communities. These grants have engaged thousands of volunteers in more than 3,000 hours of community service.
Learn more and apply for a microgrant today!
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Roots & Shoots
Growing Compassionate Young Leaders through Service Learning Free Online Course
Join
Roots & Shoots
for a free online professional development course featuring Dr. Jane Goodall. Growing Compassionate Young Leaders through Service Learning teaches participants how to facilitate a service-learning campaign with youth using a Common Core-approved curriculum that offers experiential learning, community service, and social-emotional learning strategies that positively shape youth in the classroom and beyond. Through the course, participants become a part of the Roots & Shoots global community of educators and mentors and are supported with a variety of resources to nurture the next generation of leaders with 21st-century learning skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, empathy, and collaboration.
Register today
.
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Contact the Service in Schools Team
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Invite the Service in Schools team to visit your service project. We want to see your students and school community in action. Email the Service in Schools team at
ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov
with two weeks’ notice, and we’ll schedule a visit to your school to learn about your project and see the impact you’re making on the community.
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Follow
@ServicenSchools
to receive program updates, upcoming service opportunities, resources, and more. We encourage students who use Twitter and are interested in service opportunities to follow us.
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Mission:
Service in Schools
strives to expand the number of NYC students engaged in transformative community service and service-learning experiences that enable them to use their voice, skills, and critical thinking to strengthen communities.
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