For Community's Sake: Maximizing the Community Impact of Service-Learning

Approximately 40 people, three-quarters of them representing higher education institutions (from Wisconsin and Iowa), and the rest representing nonprofit organizations, gathered for a day of focus on how to maximize the community impact of service learning. Using facilitated group processes, eight breakout groups discussed the following questions: 1. How do we design projects with community impacts in mind? 2. How do we build relationships with community groups and organizations? 3. How do we balance and negotiate campus and community needs? 4. How do we design service learning programs for maximum community impact? 5. How do we support community organizations to fully partner in service learning? 6. How do we document community impact? 7. How do we build community capacity through service learning? 8. How do we restructure higher education to support service learning that maximizes community impact? The following themes were also addressed: Theme 1: Developing a Mission and Principles for Service Learning Programs Theme 2: Practical Strategies for Pursuing the Principles Theme 3: Faculty Roles in Service Learning Theme 4: The Role of Cultural Diversity in Service Learning Theme 5: Communication and Relationship Building Principles Theme 6: Community Voice in Project Development Theme 7: Evaluating and Document Service Learning (authors)