September 2021 Newsletter |
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Service in Schools (SIS) wishes all students, teachers, school-based staff, and families a great start to the 2021-22 school year! The SIS team offers our support to all NYC public schools and students who want to help their communities:
Direct Support: SIS directly assists schools to develop and improve their community service and service-learning programs. Through school visits as well as email and phone outreach, SIS works with educators and school leaders to provide resources, celebrate youth service accomplishments, and generate ideas to expand their school service programs. Email ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov to connect with a member of our team on questions about youth service and to share the impact your students are making on the community.
Resources and Programs: SIS provides NYC public schools with instructional resources to create and enhance youth service opportunities. These include this newsletter that arrives monthly with opportunities and resources for youth service, a resource page with at-home project guides and student presentations of service accomplishments, and social media accounts that highlight additional opportunities and resources throughout the year. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram to be the first to know when applications launch for professional learning and student leadership programs!
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E-books for Service-Learning
Want to help students to understand a complex social issue, build concern and caring for others, or get excited to take action in their community? There is a book (or e-book) for that, and you can find it on the SIS resource page! The collection features books for students of all ages on topics such as animal welfare, food access and insecurity, and youth activism. These books can serve as the entry point to learning about a serious topic in an age-appropriate way or provide an opportunity for students to gather information on their topic for service. Through stories, students gain perspective and get inspired to help!
All of the e-books listed on the resource page are available to NYC DOE teachers and students for free through Sora. See how to access the free e-books and digital learning resources from Sora and other databases available through NYC DOE Department of Library Services. If you have any questions or suggestions for service-themed e-books, email ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov.
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School Spotlight: I.S. 232 |
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Students in grades 7 and 8 bilingual classes at I.S. 232 in the Bronx researched the benefits of schools offering foods from the cultures of their student body to help students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds see themselves represented. To learn more about the benefits of incorporating culturally representative foods into school lunch menus, students interviewed Ana Lilia Araiza, the Director of Youth Leadership at Community Food Advocates. The students also contacted Zunilda Peralta, their School Food Manager, and Principal Desiree Resto to learn more about the process for updating and expanding the school food menu. Through their research, they discovered that serving culturally representative foods at school lunch can boost student participation and attendance.
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Next, the students wrote argumentative essays and created posters and short videos in English and Spanish to advocate for culturally representative lunch options at their school. As a result, their principal is supporting this initiative, and they hope to have menu updates go into effect this school year. This experience helped students to realize that they could have a voice in their school community and made them eager to do more work in the future to help the Bronx and the city as a whole. |
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DOROT Fall Teen Internship Program
Application Deadline: Friday, October 1, 2021
DOROT alleviates social isolation among older adults through the assistance of volunteers, fostering mutually beneficial relationships while enabling older adults to remain independent in their homes. The Fall Teen Internship Program offers an opportunity to NYC high school students to develop their leadership skills by engaging in and planning programming with DOROT’s older adult clients. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, DOROT programs are virtual for the fall. The program runs for approximately 10 weeks, and teens can commit to attending one 1-2 hour afternoon session per week depending on the workshop they sign up for. Apply for the teen internship program by Friday, October 1, 2021. Contact teens@dorotusa.org with questions.
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Service Learning Project (SLP)
SLP LAB Application Deadline:
Thursday, September 30, 2021
SLP Youth Board Application Deadline:
Friday, October 15, 2021
Service Learning Project (SLP) is an action civics program for youth in grades K-12. Through its school-day and after-school programs, SLP helps youth become leaders and agents of positive change in their schools and communities by working together to help solve a social problem of their choice.
SLP is accepting applications for two upcoming programs for students who want to make their voices heard: SLP Lab, a remote after-school program open to students in grades 4-12, which begins the week of October 4 and runs through the week of December 13. There are three mixed age options: upper elementary (grades 4-5) and high school (grades 9-12) groups meet Wednesdays at 5:00pm and the middle school group (grades 6-8) meets Tuesdays at 5:00pm. SLP Youth Board, open to NYC high school students, is also accepting applications for the 2021-22 school year. Contact info@servicelearningnyc.org with any questions or to learn more.
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Edutopia
Edutopia, founded by innovative filmmaker George Lucas, is dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. Edutopia provides professional learning resources, free with sign up, for educators to hone their craft and gain new skills.
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Contact the Service in Schools Team |
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Does your school have a great service project to share? If so, the Service in Schools team wants to know!
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 on Twitter and @ServiceinSchools on Instagram to receive program updates, upcoming service opportunities, resources, and more. We encourage students who use social media 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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