x2VOL Blog: Tracking Service Hours at your School

The news is riddled with stories of college applicants bucking the system and working outside of the rules to get into universities of their choice.

College acceptance nowadays takes so many things into consideration when evaluating an applicant. It's more than just about their grades. It's about their extracurricular activities, the sports teams they are on, the clubs they are in, their standardized test scores, and who they are as a person. The stakes are high and students are feeling the pressure.

x2VOL has received the CODiE Award for Best Social Emotional Learning Platform two years in a row. But what is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?
Social Emotional Learning is the process by which individuals learn to understand and manage emotions in order to learn empathy, how to achieve goals, and how to relate to others among many other things.  

Participating in community service is more than just a chore or something to check off the list. It can be an extremely transformative experience for students, opening their eyes to a whole new world outside of their day-to-day bubble. 

Creating a successful service program in your school can be challenging. Engaging students in meaningful service whether it's required by the school or just recommended, can be difficult. On the same coin, there are struggles that come along with students completing regular service. From tracking hours to approving hours and ensuring students are completing their service before graduation, it takes a lot of time and effort from the administrators and service leaders to ensure success.

Spring break is the perfect time of year to spend time serving in your community. Whether it's through a week-long service project or time spent volunteering at a local nonprofit, this is a great time to volunteer. 

Are you serving in your community during high school? Or are you a school leader has students completing service hours?

Don't miss out on the chance to be recognized with The President's Volunteer Service Award! We have outlined everything you need to know about the award, what it means to receive the award, and how to go about applying. Share it with your fellow classmates or share it with your students! This is an awesome opportunity for all of the students that are active in serving their community. 

You got into your dream university, but now you have to figure out how to pay for it! Remember those community service hours you did in high school? They could be the key. There are many scholarships, awards, and grants for students to help offset and cover the cost of school. Many of these, provide awards based on your service experience. 

It's National Catholic Schools Week! This week we are celebrating all of the Catholic schools and Catholic school leaders that are educating students across the country.

One of the pillars of many Catholic schools are Corporal Works Mercy. Corporal Works of Mercy are deeds and acts by which people spread the love and compassion of God unto other people.

Every year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also known as a National Day of Service, individuals across the country get out and serve their communities.

Martin Luther King Jr. was an iconic American leader that championed the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. He is remembered for his dedication and profound sacrifice in changing not only the United States, but the world. 

Because of his selfless dedication leading the Civil Rights Movements, Americans remember and honor him every year by serving in their communities. 

Like many of those around the country, the team at x2VOL will be serving the community as well to honor and to give thanks for all that Martin Luther King Jr. did to advance our country.

In the past on this day, the x2VOL Team has served at Goodwill, a local community garden, and more. This year the team will be serving at Feed My Starving Children, an organization that packs nutrient dense meals for children in impoverished countries. The x2VOL team serves on this day and throughout the year to connect with the community and to continue to grow as individuals.  

How are you serving on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? After you're done serving or after your students have completed service on this day, ensure they are logging their hours in x2VOL and writing reflections in x2VOL on how the service experience impacted them. 

Missing an efficient way to track student service at your school? Let us become your partner in service this year. Check out our demo and engage your students in meaningful service this school year. 

Are you looking for a community service opportunity that is a little bit more out of the box? Check out this list of community service ideas you can participate in to benefit others this fall and winter during the holidays.

There are so many needs in the community and so many different ways that you can benefit other people as we go into the holiday season.