Abstract

School administrators in Boyd County, Kentucky coordinated a multi-district method for students to promote character education and become volunteers. Middle and high school students from three school districts, one private school, one home school, and one residential alternative school, comprise the Boyd County Branch of the Kentucky Youth Council on Volunteerism and Service. Also included are AmeriCorps members who help with planning, logistics and implementation. This program was a recipient of the Kentucky Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2000. Bill Burch of Boyd County Community Education submitted this effective practice in November 2002.

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Issue

School administrators were struggling with the problem of how to coordinate efforts across districts for students to learn about volunteer opportunities and to become youth volunteers; as well as how to teach character education and the merits of volunteerism in the elementary schools.

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Action

The Boyd County Branch of the Kentucky Youth Council on Volunteerism and Service is made up of 15 middle and high school youth and 2 AmeriCorps members. The Youth Council provides a program at each elementary school in three school districts to encourage students to become volunteers. According to the director of Boyd County Community Education, effective practices that encourage youth volunteerism include:

• The Youth Council on Volunteerism and Services' "Branch-Out -- Be a Volunteer" is an annual program the Youth Council brings to elementary schools in Boyd County.
• Teaching packets, developed by middle and high school students on the theme of character education, encourage elementary school students to become volunteers. These are distributed to schools prior to the Youth Council's visit at the end of the school year.
• At the end of the school year the students from the Youth Council visit each elementary school and present a skit on volunteerism and character education at a student assembly.
• At the end of their service program or the service year, elementary school students write about their volunteer service and display it on a tree in their school lobby. Some of the elementary students' accomplishments in service include walking a neighbor's dog, taking out the trash or other activities they can help with at home.
• In 2001-2002 "Soar to New Heights through Volunteerism" encouraged each elementary school student to perform a volunteer activity.
• In 2000-2001 the theme was "Create a Blizzard Character through Volunteerism." Youth Council students erected a large model robot out of boxes. They then showed what would happen to the robot if he did not have some of the character traits of a volunteer.
• AmeriCorps members help with writing the teaching packets, planning the skits, and visiting the schools where the skits are performed.

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Context

The Boyd County Branch of the Kentucky Youth Council on Volunteerism and Service began in 1999. As of 2003, the group had a membership of approximately 15 students representing middle and high school youth and two AmeriCorps members. Students come from three school districts, one private school, one home school, and one residential alternative school. To fund their projects the students obtained a grant from the United Way and assisted in securing service-learning funds through Community Education. They also obtained sponsors and scholarship funds to send three students and a sponsor to the National Service-Learning Conference in Denver in 2000.

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Outcome

Students have logged in over 1,550 hours of service for the Youth Council between 1999 and 2001, in addition to the hours they volunteered as individuals within the community.In school year 2000-2001 students

• Accomplished the "Branch-Out -- Be a Volunteer Project"
• Published a brochure on character education and volunteerism
• Spoke at civic clubs and a parent conference
• Participated in two service-learning fairs
• Served at a "Child Identification" project for Make a Difference Day in which students helped local police fingerprint children in the community.

In school year 2001-2002 students developed a directory for volunteer organizations. The first half of the directory is a listing of all the youth organizations that encourage their members to be active volunteers. The second part is a list of all the community organizations that would like to use youth volunteers. Through the Volunteer Handbook the Youth Council plans to encourage over 5,000 additional students at the high schools and middle schools to become volunteers.The Youth Council has talked to approximately 4,000 elementary school students from the Fairview, Ashland, and Boyd County School Districts -- 15 elementary schools in all -- about volunteerism, providing guidance, encouragement and support.

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Evidence

The Boyd County Branch of the Kentucky Youth Council on Volunteerism and Services received the Kentucky Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in 2000.

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Posted On

January 14, 2003

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For More Information

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Related Practices

• Engaging youth as decision-making partners in organizations

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Related sites

AmeriCorps

Topic Areas

• Community building
• Leveraging volunteers
• Recruitment
• Capacity building
• Partnerships
• School-community partnerships
• Sustainability
• AmeriCorps
• Volunteer
• Member
• Community-Based Organizations
• Staff
• Schools
• Students
• Program management
• Public Allies

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