Volunteer Work, or "Service
Learning" Isn't Just "Nice To Do" but Is Essential for
Scholarships
Introduction /
How Service Learning Works
/ Student Story / Resources
Introduction
Boise State University's TRIO
pre-college program students earned over half a million dollars in
scholarships to help them enter postsecondary education in fall
2002.
Reasons are no doubt
numerous, but at least one contributing factor is staff efforts to engage
their students in service learning or volunteer work. (The staff avoids
"Community Service" which carries a connotation of service
required for legal infractions.) Service Learning involves learning about
social and community issues while contributing to the betterment of
society.
Scholarships
require hundreds of hours
"Scholarships often require
many hours of volunteer work in addition to high GPAs and test
scores," says Upward Bound teacher Julie Bú. "Many of our
students are doing well if they can put together 10 to 20 hours before
it's time to apply for scholarships. Still, every little bit helps their
chances." See Resources for volunteer hours
required for Congressional Awards to high school achievers.
Additional
benefits: career ideas, even jobs
"We find many more
benefits than helping students win scholarships," says Sue Huizinga,
BSU TRIO Pre-College Programs Director. "Volunteering for various
groups gives students a chance to meet people in professions that may end
up influencing students when making career decisions. Also, some students
have been offered jobs based on relationships built while doing volunteer
work."
Next: How
Service Learning Works
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