Essay: Service for the Soul by Ava

Essay: Service for the Soul by Ava - February 2022 Scholarship Essay

I would design an elective class that would allow students to work in their community for class credits in school. Most school systems have a minimum “service learning hour” requirement for students to graduate. While some students excel in being involved in service activities, some students struggle with anxiety or other personal issues holding them back from jumping into new projects with new people. Service is a crucial part of a community and some communities rely on the involvement of their citizens to hold successful events.
In this course, students would have opportunities to volunteer in various ways within their community. Projects such as a community clean-up, volunteering at a fundraiser, or passing out meals at a homeless shelter would be completed throughout the course. Students would be bussed to and from the activity so there is no burden on families or students to provide transportation. Students will learn valuable skills needed to give back to their community and the school will be able to build a strong reputation for teaching students the importance of their service. Projects that would require funding would be funded through the school or other means such as state and local grants. The structure of the course would be quite simple: one personal, school, community, and international service project to be started and/or completed within the given grading period. The total grade would be based on 3 aspects: the service that has been done, their ability to lead, an overall assessment of the student.
For a personal service project, a student must complete this on their own, with the support of their school and teacher. The student will be responsible for planning, organizing, and executing the project from start to finish. Some examples of personal projects would be organizing an in-school drive to donate to the community, starting a fundraiser to donate to a nonprofit, or any other ideas along those lines. Students will learn crucial leadership skills when being responsible for their projects. They will be responsible for directing the project and organizing it to be successful, which will be ⅓ of the grading criteria for the class.
The school project would entail the class doing an activity for the benefit of the school. Something as simple as cleaning up trash from the parking lot would be an example of how students could serve their school. By giving back to their school, students will be making a reputation for the class and giving the school a reason to support this type of elective. Students would be able to better the school through acts of service.
社区项目将是一个课堂活动well. The class will be responsible for giving back to their community in some way; whether it be a fundraiser, planting trees at a local park, or handing out meals. The class can either initiate the project or volunteer at an existing one to earn the credit. Students will be able to see the direct effects that their time has given to their community when they are outside of school. Seeing this impact will empower some students to continue volunteering past their attendance of the course.
The international project will be completed in class. Students will work with each other within the classroom to send their services to other countries. Ideas for this project could be sending care kits to military bases or sending clothing to third-world countries. Being able to work with international agencies to complete this project will allow for students to see parts of the world that are not developed fully. Students will witness how poverty has affected some areas and learn the benefits of their help to these areas.
As a result of this course, students will give back to their school, community, and world. Along the way, they will develop valuable skills such as leadership and responsibilities. Hopefully, students will enjoy the effects they can create and continue to volunteer at every opportunity presented to them. The effects of this class will show far beyond the classroom and build better citizens for communities and the world.