Pre-Collegiate Service Learning Programs

Active Citizenship, Empowering America's Youth
This curriculum, for grades 7-12, integrates American history, civic values, civic participation skills, and service learning. Students learn about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and they practice critical thinking and participation skills by solving real problems in their school or community. Students learn the civic values and the vision of the Founding Fathers and they are challenged to make a meaningful contribution to our democracy.

John Minkler, Ph.D.
Center for Multicultural Cooperation
30450 Yosemite Springs Parkway
Coarsegold, CA 93614
Tel: 1-800-432-3618

Active Citizenship Today (ACT)
ACT involves middle and high school students to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom to solving problems in their communities. Adaptable to several different subjects, ACT is built around a problem-solving curriculum and encourages students to become participants in local civic issues. It is sponsored jointly by the Constitutional Rights Foundation and the Close Up Foundation.

Constitutional Rights Foundation
601 S. Kingsley Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tel: (213) 487-5590

Close Up Foundation
44 Canal Center Plaza
Alexandria, VA 22314
Tel: 800-CLOSEUP

Community Works
Based on the curriculum from Street Law's 'Teen, Crime and the Community' Program, Community Works combines education and action to reduce teen victimization and involve youth in their communities. Used both inside and outside schools, this program develops leadership and communications skills. It culminates in a service learning project that is planned, designed and implemented by youth.

Street Law, Inc.
1600 K. St., NW
Suite 602
Washington, D.C. 20006-29022
Tel: (102) 293-0088

Earth Force CAPS (Community Action and Problem Solving)
This program works with schools in developing the academic and personal skills, which are necessary for students to effectively engage in environmental problem solving in their communities. Young people work with adult leaders to identify local environmental concerns, develop and implement a plan, which results in long term improvement of the local environment. Improvement in the status of endangered species, informing the community about local health hazards and creating a wildlife habitat are among the many projects developed by CAPS participants.

Earth Force
1908 Mount Vernon Ave. 2nd Fl.
Alexandria, VA 22301
Tel: (703) 299-9400

National Center for Learning and Citizenship
A division of  Education Commission of the States, the NCLC provides information about service-learning and citizenship education through publications and on the Web site. Click on the Publications button at the left for a comprehensive list of our printed resources, including a series of issue briefs that address critical service-learning issues. Most of our publications are in a format to download and print. Resources include case studies highlighting successful K-12 programs linking service with learning; research findings, studies and stories about the impact of service, service-learning and volunteerism on students, schools and communities.

ECS National Center for Learning and Citizenship
700 Broadway, #1200
Denver, Colorado 80203-3460
Tel:  303-299-3606
Fax:  303-296-8332
Email:  arautio@ecs.org
NCLC Executive Director: Terry Pickeral

National Service Learning Partnership 
The National Service-Learning Partnership is a national network of members dedicated to advancing service-learning as a core part of every young person's education. Service-learning is a teaching method that engages young people in solving problems within their schools and communities as part of their academic studies or other type of intentional learning activity. The Partnership concentrates on strengthening the impact of service-learning on young people's learning and development, especially their academic and civic preparation. The Partnership supports members sharing resources, organizing change, and sponsoring innovation.

Public Achievement
This program encourages students to identify and work to solve a problem in their communities. "Coaches from the community work with each group to develop the basic civic skills necessary to facilitiate the projects. Public Achievement is sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs.

Center for Democracy and Citizenship
130 Humphrey Institute
301 19th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Tel: (612)625-0142

We the People: Project Citizen
Project Citizen is a civic participation program for middle school students that promotes competent and responsible participation in state and local government. It actively engages students in learning how to monitor and influence public policy and encourages civic participation among students, their parents and members of the community. Students work together in class to identify and study a public policy issue and then develop an action plan for implementing their policy. The final product is a portfolio displaying each group's work. In the culminating activity, the class presents its portfolio in a simulated legislative hearing, demonstrat-ing how public policy is formulated. Student portfolios are evaluated.

Center for Civic Education
5146 Douglas Fir Road
Calabasas, CA 91302-9321

YMCA Earth Service Corps
Sponsored by the YMCA, this program encourages teens to 'make a difference' in their communities. The program can be used both inside and outside of school. Working with community leaders, Earth Service Corps teaches young people the leadership and educational skills necessary to plan and implement environmental projects, which will improve their cities and towns. It involves over 20,000 young people in 30 states.

YMCA Earth Service Corps
909 Fourth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Tel: (800) 733-YESC

Youth for Justice
Youth for Justice is sponsored and directed by a consortium of national law-related educated groups: The American Bar Association, The Center for Civic Education, The Constitutional Rights Foundation, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and Street Law. The program consists of statewide Youth Summits, involving high school students, who research and discuss problems facing today's teenagers. Students then address policy makers through hearings and lobbying efforts. Several laws, including the establishment of teen courts, 'zero-tolerance' and 'open-container' laws have been enacted through the efforts of YFJ students. 

Constitutional Rights Foundation
601 South Kingsley Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Tel: (800) 350-4223
Tel: (213) 487-5590

This program directory was developed with the help of Barbara Gomez and the Compact for Learning and Citizenship.