Choosing a Service Learning Project
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There are two components to a service learning project - "Service" and "Learning".

When choosing your SL project answer the following questions:

1. Why are you  interested in doing SL? (Are you merely trying to get out of writing reports?)
2. Are you providing help to anyone in the community through your service?
3. Are you learning anything in the process?
4. Do you think you are making a difference in anyone's life?
5. Will you be able to commit 2-3 hours per week for the next 12 weeks to this service?

Service Learning should NOT be any of the following:

1. Work that you get paid for.
2. Service that you provide to family members (this is your personal service and not part of service learning - SL constitutes as something you are doing for the community, beyond your friends and family).
3. Any work that does not result in anyone benefiting, e.g. data entry. The idea is to make a difference in someone's life.

Appropriate projects for SL:

1. Volunteer at a local organization: where you will have communication/contact with the public and you are serving the mission of the organization.  Examples of organizations: hospitals, nature conservatories, hospices, community outreach places (after school programs, drug rehabs, violence prevention etc.).  You can visit http://www.volunteerkc.org/ for options.
2. Mentoring: you can mentor a kid/teenager for the semester.  Time commitment is really important here!
3. Design and carry out 3-4 community outreach activities e.g. provide science programs for elementary, middle or high school school students, design outreach for the elderly or any other special needs group. This is good as it gives you the chance to be creative in your area of education and expertise.

You will be required to do at least the following as a result of this service project:

1. Commit 2-3 hours per week for the project.  The goal is to do about 25-30 hours of service in the semester.
2. Provide me with an initial letter from your supervisor that you are indeed working at the location you indicate you are.  I will also need contact information of the organization and supervisor or contact person.
3. Fill out and submit the student personal plan that I will provide to you.  There will be another one at the end of the semester.
4. Keep a weekly or biweekly journal (this depends on what kind of work and the frequency of your work you are doing)
5. Submit this journal to me for grading purpose.  This is your private journal and I will not divulge any information to anyone and I will not judge you on it.  I want to make sure that there is service learning going on.  It is a good idea to write in good English to help your writing skills.
6. A final letter from your supervisor regarding your work.