Active citizens as voters, volunteers, and general participants are essential to the health of our democratic society. Unfortunately, the future of our civic health is being undermined; a number of indicators suggest that young people are not civically engaged. In contrast to this concern over civic engagement, large numbers of young people are participating in service and volunteering. Research however suggests that these trends can be reversed. That citizens are not born but made; that we can provide education and experiences that can raise the quality of civic participation by young people. In fact, some suggest that service-learning could be a promising approach to meeting this need.

Service-Learning Impacting Citizenship (SLIC) is a program of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network aimed at increasing the civic behavior and aptitude of high school aged youth.  Specifically, the SLIC program helps young people make the link between service and other forms of civic engagement by taking them through a civic engagement curriculum and engaging them in service activities.

What is the responsibility of a citizen?  What is civic engagement and why is it important? How do you gather and analyze information? How do you present your ideas to others? How can a young person have an impact on an issue such as education or homelessness?  Youth participants in the SLIC program are given this knowledge and these skills through the curriculum and through hands on service projects. The curriculum contains two sections.  The first section contains basic civic knowledge and skills such as the fundamentals of democracy, how to work with local government, research skills, communication skills (including participating in civic forums and communicating with policy makers), and how to mobilize citizens.  The second section focuses on specific issues (e.g. Teen Health, Literacy, Hunger, Seniors, and the Environment and includes an overview of the issue, specific project ideas, and ideas for further civic action after service projects take place.

The curriculum is designed to be comprehensive, yet adaptable to various demographics. The program was developed in conjunction with local Volunteer Centers and currently 30 Volunteer Centers around the country are piloting the program. Volunteer Centers are using the program with youth who are incarcerated, active in youth development organizations (e.g. YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs), enrolled in high school government classes, attending alternative schools, participating in leadership programs and participating in after school programs, attending summer camps and attending youth treatment centers. The following are just a few examples of the way youth are contributing to their communities through SLIC:

• In Sioux Falls, SD the Volunteer Center worked with Senator Tim Johnson’s office to engage students in the Veterans History Project.  Students interviewed veterans and forwarded the transcripts to the Library of Congress for collection.  Through this process young people began to see a number of problems veterans experienced.  In reflection sessions they began asking questions.  How can veterans be homeless if they receive a check from the government?  Through the SLIC program these youth explored those questions by working with the local Veterans Administration and coordinating a Stand Down (an event to provide veterans with basic needs, health info etc…), as well as developing an on-going relationship with Senator Johnson’s office and the Veterans Administration.  Additionally, the youth have begun to develop ways to share the stories of the veterans with the Sioux Falls community to raise awareness about these issues.

• In Warwick, RI the Volunteens of the Volunteer Center of Rhode Island has integrated the SLIC curriculum into their overall program. As a result, teens have taken on leadership roles in a number of local community groups, including the Warwick Citizen Corps and the Volunteens Advisory Board. In the Volunteens program, strong emphasis is put on letting the students discuss what they feel are problems in the community and plan solutions to address those issues. In response to national disasters of the past year, particularly Hurricane Katrina, the teens showed a particular interest and concern in disaster preparedness for their own city. The Youth Governing Council has formed an Emergency Preparedness Committee. Teens have attended trainings on shelter management, developing and manning a volunteer reception centers, and radio operation.

A recent evaluation conducted of the program highlights the impact of the program on youth participants. The evaluation suggests that the SLIC program positively influences the civic behavior, knowledge, attitudes, and skills of program participants. A complete copy of the evaluation report is available upon request.

SLIC participants come away from the program with real-world knowledge of social issues and real world skills that allow them to be active citizens. Every youth in the program participates in service projects of their own design.  This youth-led model gives these young people a way to take their civic knowledge and skills and turn it into action.  We believe that by going through this process, youth will experience the importance of active citizenship and remain civically engaged citizens throughout their lives.

For more information on the program, contact Cynthia Scherer via phone at (202) 729-8113 or via email at CScherer@pointsoflight.org.

• SLIC Evaluation Brief

Service-Learning Impacting Citizenship (SLIC), developed by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, is supported in part through Learn and Serve America.