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SL Projects: Indirect vs. Direct SL

Learning goals determine what type of project will best enhance student learning. Here is a range of project types.

Direct Service

1. Educational OutreachBSU Service Learning volunteers at the Boys + Girls Club, Photo Patrick Sweeney

  • teaching, tutoring, mentoring, demonstrating, or presenting their knowledge and/or skills with a community partner. Ex: afterschool programs, parenting programs

2. Companionship / Personal assistance

  • spending time with target populations, sometimes assisting individuals who have difficulties dealing with bureaucracy and social service networks  Ex: working with people who are elderly, refugees, homeless, youth at risk, people with disabilities
  • capturing oral histories

Indirect Service

3. Design and Production

  • applying technical skills to design and/or produce a product for community partners. Ex:  technical writing, curriculum development, designing adaptive devices, developing an app, revitalizing buildings, etc.

4. Background Research/ Issue AnalysisPeople conversing about a research presentation

  • conducting a needs assessment, resource mapping, program evaluation, and/or background research on current issues for community organizations. Student may then work with community partner to disseminate to the public

5. Community Outreach and Impact

  • assist community advocates in raising awareness of issues, such as writing newsletter articles, developing youtube videos, assisting with outreach events, etc.

6. Field Experience

  • designing experiments, collecting data, or contributing to ongoing studies through monitoring of data for community partner. Ex: Idaho Fish and Game, Foothills Learning Center

7. Advocacy

  • educating others about topics of public interest – projects that aim to create awareness and action on some issue that impacts the community

See the Social Change Wheel for other types of SL projects.