Community Service

Community service is an activity that engages students with real-life solutions to strengthen communities.

Upcoming Community Service Opportunities

These opportunities are for educators, students, and school leaders who want to develop community service activities with their school. These approaching deadlines and events are updated regularly and are listed in chronological order.

Apply Now: Free Community Service Clubs for 2012-2013 School Year
Apply Now: Volunteer with the Youth Service Opportunities Project
Apply Now: Free 2012-2013 Service-Learning Program for Schools
Free Penny Harvest Program for Grades K-12

Planning Guides and Resources

Getting started in community service? These planning guides and resources will help inspire and develop community service with your school.

A+ Fundraisers for High Schools Guide and Toolkit
This contains tips from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to implement a successful fundraiser to help keep the community healthy.

Common Cents’ Organization Finder
This search engine allows NYC students to find organizations by borough, issue (for example, “health and wellness” and “animals”), and keywords. All organizations listed support students’ efforts to improve communities.

Global Youth Service Day
Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign to mobilize the millions of students to improve their communities each day of the year through community service. Download free community service planning guides, including "Gathering Resources," "Preparation & Planning," "Choosing a Project," "Mobilizing Volunteers," and "Partnerships."

Grow to Learn: Citywide School Gardens Initiative
This initiative facilitates and promotes the creation of a school garden in every school. Grow to Learn offers guides, grants, and methods of support to engage students in learning, growing, and supporting their community through gardening.

Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots
This resource provides free project planning documents for community service that supports the animal community, human community, and environment. Materials include a community survey and a guide to choosing a project.

NYC Compost Project
Created by the NYC Department of Sanitation, this project gives schools workshops on indoor and outdoor composting. Schools can also be connected to a community compost site to give students hands-on experience to compost and help their environment.

NYC Service’s Volunteer Project Finder
This database allows school staff and students to locate volunteer opportunities by age requirements, borough/ zip code, interests and issues, skill sets, keywords, and dates.

New York Cares Youth Volunteering Programs
Students can find a variety of New York Cares’ opportunities to serve their community throughout the year. There are one-time and long-tem projects to engage in community service.

Sparked
A helpful newsletter that sends educator and student subscribers volunteer opportunities that are aligned with their selected skills and interests.

Youth Service America
Find free guides to get started in community service, including "Effective Practices for Engaging At-Risk Youth in Service," the "Disney Action Plan," and "Effective Practices to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service."

Youth Service Challenge
Click on “See Examples” to find planning guides to develop school-based community service drives and donation collections that focus on health or the environment. A program from the Jefferson Awards and Ways To Help, the Youth Service Challenge offers online resources come from a variety of partners, including Goodwill and BlueCross BlueShield.

About Us Academics Choices & Enrollment Schools in the Community Portfolio Planning In the Community Facilities Get Involved with NYC Schools Innovations Service in Schools About Us Community Service Service-Learning Partners Videos New Schools Campus Governance Offices & Programs Rules & Policies Student Support, Safety & Activities Performance & Accountability	Community Service Community service is an activity that engages students with real-life solutions to strengthen communities. Upcoming Community Service Opportunities These opportunities are for educators, students, and school leaders who want to develop community service activities with their school. These approaching deadlines and events are updated regularly and are listed in chronological order. Apply Now: Free Community Service Clubs for 2012-2013 School Year Deadline: Ongoing Contact: Elise Henson at clubs@generationon.org GenerationOn invites NYC educators, parents, and students to start a GenerationOn Service Club in their schools. GenerationOn's club model includes Kids Care Clubs for elementary students, led by adult facilitators, as well as generationOn Clubs for middle and high school students, led by youth themselves with support from an adult advisor. Club members implement meaningful hands-on service projects locally, nationally and globally. Registered clubs in both programs gain access to extensive generationOn resources including service project ideas, mini-grant opportunities, story sharing and recognition. Registration is free. Learn more about Kids Care Clubs and about GenerationOn Clubs. Apply Now: Volunteer with the Youth Service Opportunities Project Deadline: Ongoing Contact: ysop@ysop.org The Youth Service Opportunities Project offers middle school and high school students meaningful volunteer work, combined with a orientation and reflection. Members of this project provide vital services to those in need while reflecting on their experiences and broadening their perspective. Students help the hungry and homeless people of New York City through their work in shelters, soup kitchens, schools, food and clothing banks and other direct-service institutions. Students work in a workcamp environment, which helps build team spirit and give them direction. Learn more and apply. Apply Now: Free 2012-2013 Service-Learning Program for Schools Deadline: Ongoing Contact: Davida Gatlin at dgatlin@generationon.org GenerationOn invites NYC schools to join their free 2012-2013 service-learning program, which allows participating schools to receive service-learning professional development and 1,600+ service-learning and philanthropy education lesson plans for grades K-12, aligned to New York and Common Core Learning. Join today. Free Penny Harvest Program for Grades K-12 Contact: Gracie Rifino at 212-579-0579ext.114 or grifino@commoncents.org Common Cents invites schools to join 700 NYC schools each Fall in the Penny Harvest, the largest student philanthropy and community service program in NYC. This program helps schools develop a lasting culture of service by providing the training, tools, and support for teachers and students. To participate, schools must commit two dedicated staff members to serve as Penny Harvest Coaches, who will engage your whole school in community service and provide a year-long leadership program to 10-15 of your students. Common Cents provides year-long, age-appropriate curriculum tied to national standards, and two full days of professional development for your Penny Harvest Coaches, along with school support throughout the program year. Sign up today. Planning Guides and Resources Getting started in community service? These planning guides and resources will help inspire and develop community service with your school. A+ Fundraisers for High Schools Guide and Toolkit This contains tips from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to implement a successful fundraiser to help keep the community healthy. Common Cents’ Organization Finder This search engine allows NYC students to find organizations by borough, issue (for example, “health and wellness” and “animals”), and keywords. All organizations listed support students’ efforts to improve communities. Global Youth Service Day Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign to mobilize the millions of students to improve their communities each day of the year through community service. Download free community service planning guides, including "Gathering Resources," "Preparation & Planning," "Choosing a Project," "Mobilizing Volunteers," and "Partnerships." Grow to Learn: Citywide School Gardens Initiative This initiative facilitates and promotes the creation of a school garden in every school. Grow to Learn offers guides, grants, and methods of support to engage students in learning, growing, and supporting their community through gardening. Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots This resource provides free project planning documents for community service that supports the animal community, human community, and environment. Materials include a community survey and a guide to choosing a project. NYC Compost Project Created by the NYC Department of Sanitation, this project gives schools workshops on indoor and outdoor composting. Schools can also be connected to a community compost site to give students hands-on experience to compost and help their environment. NYC Service’s Volunteer Project Finder This database allows school staff and students to locate volunteer opportunities by age requirements, borough/ zip code, interests and issues, skill sets, keywords, and dates. New York Cares Youth Volunteering Programs Students can find a variety of New York Cares’ opportunities to serve their community throughout the year. There are one-time and long-tem projects to engage in community service. Sparked A helpful newsletter that sends educator and student subscribers volunteer opportunities that are aligned with their selected skills and interests. Youth Service America Find free guides to get started in community service, including "Effective Practices for Engaging At-Risk Youth in Service," the "Disney Action Plan," and "Effective Practices to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service." Youth Service Challenge Click on “See Examples” to find planning guides to develop school-based community service drives and donation collections that focus on health or the environment. A program from the Jefferson Awards and Ways To Help, the Youth Service Challenge offers online resources come from a variety of partners, including Goodwill and BlueCross BlueShield.