Connections: School – Community - Service

The Volunteer Center of Bergen County will host a half-day conference on Friday, October 12, to help link schools with community organizations through service-learning.  Sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies, the conference will be held at Bergen Community College from 8:30 AM to noon.  The cost is $35 per adult and $15 per student, which includes continental breakfast and all course materials. Click here to register on-line.

 

Service-Learning is different from volunteering.  It’s a method of teaching and learning that combines academic work with service to the community, enriching the learning experience and teaching civic responsibility.  Students learn by doing, through a clear application of skills and knowledge, while helping to meet needs in the school and community. Self-refection, self-discovery and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills and knowledge are important aspects of service-learning.

 

This conference is open to teachers, Middle and High School students, service advisors, administrators, as well as volunteers and staff of community and faith-based organizations.

 

A featured presentation will be given by a team from generationOn, the youth division of the national volunteer organization Points of Light, describing unique materials that help educators, youth workers, students, parents and organizations implement Service-Learning in their classrooms.

 

“The programs of GenerationOn represent the collective best practices created from more than 20 years of work in the field of youth and family service,” says Janet Sharma, executive director of the Volunteer Center.  “This conference will provide a wealth of information for those interested in developing or expanding Service-Learning, and will offer participants an opportunity to learn from schools and agencies that have well-established programs.”

 

For more information about registering to attend the Fifth Annual Service-Learning Conference on October 12, contact Debbie Emery at (201) 489-9454, ext. 118, or demery@bergenvolunteers.org.