Service Learning
Service-Learning (S-L) is a form of experiential education by which Northeastern students and faculty engage with our community, and is just one of many ways we express how we value being a positively contributing member of our local and global communities we live and learn in. Through S-L, our goal is to collaboratively form and maintain mutually beneficial partnerships by which NU’s academic goals and your organization’s interests and needs can be met.
Through courses utilizing S-L, we facilitate opportunities for our students and faculty to utilize their discipline and/or course related knowledge and skills to help your organization in fulfilling its mission. Students can act in a direct service, research, or "consultant" capacity in order to provide you with specific outcomes, suggestions, or solutions to an issue that you have identified within your organization/community. As part of this partnership, we aim for our students to understand the assets of the local and international organizations we partner with by learning how their related skills and knowledge can be applied and are useful to a community, as well as what being a member of a community means – in ways textbooks cannot inform them.
Examples of past S-L roles and projects:
- developing communication strategies to attract and retain a more diverse staff
- researching new models to improve the effectiveness of an after-school program
- designing a sponsorship packet
- running programs to teach youth about healthy eating habits and activities
- designing a program or training curriculum;
- identifying new funding sources
- facilitating a elderly exercise program
- tutoring adult speakers of other languages in English
- designing and administering surveys to gather and analyze data on a community’s changing needs
Listed below are some of the ways your organization can benefit from partnering with us through S-L:
- Increased awareness of and support for community organizations, issues and unmet community needs
- Improved relationship with University and access to University resources
- Access to scholars with expertise in area(s) of interest
- Helps breakdown and dispel myths and stereotypes about students and community
- Provides an opportunity for a community to shape students' values and to prepare students for remaining engaged with ones organization or the social issue throughout life
- Receipt of tangible project outcomes, research, and other resources useful for daily operation, grant data, supporting client needs, etc.
Visit the Service-Learning website to learn more!