The Importance of Volunteerism
Volunteers are an essential component in the operations of most non-profit organizations. With them, your agency is able to fulfill its mission and bring services to fuller potential. College students are a wonderful supply of inspired (and free!) labor – allowing your organization increased capacity and enhanced outreach, without breaking the bank. And, for the students, service-learning allows them to apply course content to real-world situations, give back to our communities and even try out potential careers.
You should note that, while related, service-learning is different than traditional volunteerism. Service-learning is a teaching-learning approach where equal value is placed upon the service to the community and the learning for the student. At Scottsdale Community College, for a volunteer experience to be considered service-learning it must (1) be intentionally connected to the curriculum; (2) meet a need determined by your agency; (3) be critically reflected upon by the service-learner (this is where the learning occurs); and, (4) be celebrated. As a representative of your non-profit organization, you are able to assist with the first two steps.
Interested in working with our students? Please contact our office, the Office of Service-learning & Leadership, SC, Rm. 100, (480) 423-6545, serve.learn.lead@scottsdalecc.edu
Benefits of Service-learning: Community Partner
- Provides human resources to meet needs
- Offers ways to expand services
- Renews sense of community and citizenship
- Enhances relationships with college
- Encourages participatory democracy
- Allows for contribution to educational process
- Enriches roles for supervisors