Step One: Identify the Problem
• Look around your community and think about things that you think could be better. For example, are the sidewalks safe to walk on? Are there people who need more food? Are there opportunities to recycle plastic and other materials?
• Think of a problem in your community that you would like to help solve.
• Discuss this problem with other students in a discussion assignment in the first unit of the course.
Step Two: Research the Problem
• Find out what is already being done, if anything, to solve the problem you identified. For example, your city council might have a committee that is involved in solving that problem. There might be non-profit organizations that are currently working on that issue.
• Find out what issues keep the problem from being permanently solved if people are already working on it. Does it rely on money that runs out? Is it a recurrent problem that will keep appearing?
• Write a letter to a community official, such as your mayor or city council representative, or the head of an organization that is or might be interested in your identified problem. Identify yourself and share what you have found out in your research about the problem. Ask the person to respond and suggest ways you might approach a service project to help solve the problem. Save the reply if you get a letter from the person you write.
• You will submit this letter and the reply, if there was one, as part of a portfolio assignment.
Step Three: Create a Plan
• Discuss your ideas for your service project with your parent or another adult. Refer to the response from your letter for information about how to proceed.
• Decide how much time you can devote to your project.
• Determine what costs, if any, for materials you might need for your project and how you will pay that cost.
• Decide on a start date and a stop date for your project. Be sure the stop date allows you time to complete your next steps.
• Write your plan, including all the points for this step. You will submit your plan as part of a portfolio assignment.
Step Four: Implement and Document the Plan
• On the start date you decided in Step Three, put your service project into action.
• Be sure to document your plan. You can do this with photographs and/or journal entries. You can also include notes of your participation from other people involved in your project.
• On the stop date you decided in Step Three, finish your service project.
• Gather your service plan documents (photos, journals, notes) and submit them as part of your final portfolio assignment.
Step Five: Summarize and Evaluate Your Results
• Report the results of your service project. Be sure to summarize your plan and then describe how you would evaluate it. Was it difficult to put into effect? Did you get the help you needed from others? Do you feel you helped solve a problem in your community? Would you do this project again? Why or why not? What other service project might you want to do in the future?
• Write a summary of your project and evaluation of its success. Include any challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Reflect on the impact your project had on the community and any lessons you learned from the experience.
• Submit your summary and evaluation as part of your final portfolio assignment.
• Consider sharing your project with your class or community to raise awareness about the issue you addressed and inspire others to get involved in service projects as well.