Innovation at Dalat #5 Service Learning

While service learning is not new at Dalat, I am including it in this series of innovation updates because it is such a unique and valuable part of our education process.  For nearly 15 years, Dalat has required all HS students to engage in a minimum of ten hours of community service each year as part of the student graduation requirements. This first exposure to service is often the spark that leads students to commit to many more hours of service than are required, and eventually, we hope, a life of service to others. Dalat recognizes those students who go above the minimum service hours with student “Service Awards” that are handed out by our service learning coordinator, Mrs. Pagee.   

What is new this year is “Track it Forward”. This software platform gives simple and accurate recording of all of the hours students have served. Track it Forward gives simple verification from a community organizer of the quality of work done and helps the students record and communicate their hours in a way that is simple and fun. We have introduced it this semester for students in grades 9-11.

Several teachers are connectors in our community who know where needs are and how our students can reach out and help meet those needs. They regularly organize trips to an orphanage, the old folks home, SKTT school near Tesco, and a host of other outings to provide outreach opportunities for our students. It is a joy to see students learning to use the gifts that they have in service to others.

Dalat’s new “Impact” trip program is taking the concept of service learning a step further. It creates opportunities for students to engage in another culture at a deeper level for a full week of service, often in remote locations around SE Asia. Students commit to many weeks of training before they leave to prepare them to be able to serve well. This year four teams of students will care for young prisoners, work to develop seed storage techniques, care for young girls who have become pregnant, and run programs for children who have been abandoned.  

If you know a place where our students can serve or want to engage in any of these programs, communicate with our service learning coordinator Mrs. Pagee or the Impact coordinator Mr. McClary. We would love to hear from you.