Teaching Students To Serve While Learning

This year much of the southeast coast was severely damaged.  Many of our schools, students, and teachers are still feeling the devasting impact of these storms.  They are without homes to live in, supplies to learn with, or even schools to go to. Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Michael.

Whether it’s hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods, the majority of the world is vulnerable to natural disasters. Service-learning can help students learn about natural disasters and also and help those in need at the same time. Learning and action through service-learning gives students a sense of purpose and self-motivation by helping them realize how they can make a difference in the world around them.

If you need help planning for a service-learning project after a natural disaster we recommend taking the following steps.

1. Talk with Your Students to Identify a Need. By talking with your students to identify a school or community in need of assistance, you are allowing them to create their own project. Allow your students to take ownership of the project by researching and making phone calls to investigate the needs of the hardest hit communities and schools.  You may ask students to read this NPR article and conduct preliminary research of organizations and nonprofits that can serve as partners.   
2. Make a Plan.  After students investigate the needs of schools or communities impacted by natural disasters they should develop a plan to consider what it would take to implement your service-learning project.  Help students brainstorm possible actions to take to narrow the options and determine next steps. Guide your students toward independence, giving them as much voice and responsibility as possible. You will also want to break the plan into action steps and assign students different tasks based on their unique skills and talents. Below you will find a list of other organizations across North Carolina that can help your students when creating a plan.
   1. NC Hurricane Florence Frontline Fund: A non-profit that will support on-the-ground groups that do not have the capacity to receive online donations, but who are already providing leadership and offering direct services to those bearing the brunt of economic and environmental devastation in the region.
   2. A Just Florence Recovery: A continuously updated resource with information on donations and drop off locations, community distribution centers, and more.
   3. Youth Empowered Solutions: A non-profit that is leading community initiatives to benefit individual affected communities.
   4. NC Diaper Bank: The NC Diaper Bank is collecting diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence supplies. You can support their efforts by giving online, dropping off donations, volunteering to package kits, or donating from their Amazon wish list.
   5. Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina: The Food Bank is mobilizing to provide emergency food, water, and supplies.
   6. North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund: The official state recovery fund. Secure donations can be made online or by check through the Governor’s office.
3. Take Action. After a detailed plan has been created students can begin to take action and document their planning and action in journals or photos. Consider the four types of service-learning when planning which action might be best to help a community or school in need.  
4. Reflect: It’s always a great idea to have students pause and reflect to analyze their service action results.  This will help students understand the impact at a deeper level. Provide students open-ended questions to consider broader issues in the community and reflect upon their role as an individual and as a team during the project.

Below are project examples that other schools have done from NYLC and other ways you can help those on the southeast coast.

• The Power of Help and Hope After Katrina: The Corporation for National and Community Service’s official report on the disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina looks at direct service from volunteers and powerful contributions from others.
• Rebuilding the Mississippi Gulf Coast: The overarching goal of this project from the Ohio State University was to offer service-learning by providing students with an opportunity to meet community needs following Hurricane Katrina. Participants then reflected on their experience through journaling.
• Untapped Resources: The Education Commission of the States outlines ways to involve and prepare students for civic engagement as a means to prepare for and respond to a disaster, if or when disaster strikes.
• In 2002, John C. Pine of Louisiana State University conducted a case study that followed a class that developed emergency response plans. The planning initiative was an effort to challenge students in an interactive and engaging process that met the needs of their community. FEMA also hosts the results of the study on its site.
• Ready for Anything: This manual is designed to assist staff of runaway and homeless youth programs in constructing a disaster response plan, including preparedness, prevention, response, and recovery. Templates and worksheets are included, as well as discussion questions.