Service Learning

Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service. We all are connected and have a role to play in making the world a better place. By serving others, we not only lift up the community but also nourish our own wholeness and well-being.

If we want to walk a path of serving others in ways that are sustained, meaningful, and transformational, we need to use two types of service — charitable works and social action — to address both short-term and long-term needs.

Also known as "direct service," charitable works help meet immediate needs (e.g. donating canned goods to a local food bank). Opportunities for charitable works include face-to-face interactions and relationship-building with people, or even animals or the environment, who have immediate unmet needs.

Social action focuses on root causes of problems facing our communities in Austin and around the world (e.g. championing public policies that alleviate food insecurity). Students learn about laws and policies that negatively affect vulnerable people in our community and long-term solutions to those problems.

We encourage kids to start with themselves. What's my unique story? What do I care about? What gifts and resources do I have? We all have unique perspectives and talents that we can bring to the table, and we give students opportunties to explore what service means to them.

We honor graduates who have participated in a qualifying number of service hours with the designation of "Graduate with Distinction" on their diploma. However, the goal isn't to help students simply build a resume. We want them to reflect on the important role that each of us plays in contributing to betterment of our world.