x2VOL Blog: Tracking Service Hours at your School

There’s no doubt that the past two years have taken a toll on students.

There has been a significant loss of learning, development, and personal growth. Students have experienced isolation from a myriad of social situations. Many students even began high school during the pandemic and didn't return to campus well into their high school careers.

Prior to the pandemic schools and districts had a focus on the emotional development of students ensuring they have personal growth beyond what they learn in textbooks. 

However, after the onset of COVID-19 and as students try to heal from the past year and a half, social-emotional learning has become a necessity for schools. Today's students have experienced so many shifts in learning, social interactions, the way they engage in their communities, and more. Social-emotional learning is a mode of healing from the traumas of the past year and a way to grow positively from the massive changes in our world.

"Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop." - Dorothy Height

Learn More: What is Social-Emotional Learning?

Why is social-emotional learning important for a student's future? 
Not only is social-emotional growth an important healing element for students, but it's also vital for future success. Colleges look for students that will be a positive addition to their campus - students that have a widened world view and developed self-awareness fit the bill. Aside from college acceptance, this type of personal growth allows a student to be more well-rounded. They will be more successful in all aspects of life including personal relationships, university, workplace, and more. 

The core competencies that encompass social-emotional learning are responsible decision making, social awareness, relationship skills, self-awareness, and self-management. There are many volunteering opportunities students can engage in to impact their social-emotional growth:

Volunteerism and community service make the world go around on a daily basis. But what better time to serve your local or global community than during summer break! Students can use the time off of school to engage with their communities. 

This past year has been a challenging one for all of us. Students, in particular, faced a lot of roadblocks including being isolated and disconnected from peers, classmates, and their community while learning from home. 

However, as some schools plan to return to in-person classes this fall and nonprofit organizations begin to offer more in-person volunteer opportunities, students have the chance to get involved this summer. Community service is a great way for students to reconnect and re-engage with others and continue that vital personal development that sets them up for success in the future.

Christian Service Coordinator, Ogechi Akalegbere, is a service champion at Connelly School of the Holy Child. Her primary goal is to help her students connect to meaningful service experiences and projects throughout the school year. Through service, students learn about themselves and God’s love. Service is also an essential component to teach justice, peace, compassion, and faith to the girls. Sixth through 11^th grade are required to complete a variety of service hours anywhere from home, school, church to local nonprofits. Making sure students are involved with direct service is key to the Christian Service Program.

The holiday season may look and feel a little bit different this year, but serving others has never been more important! There are some in-person service opportunities that simply can't take place this year due to COVID-19, but there are still many creative ways to make an impact in your community this holiday season. 

This past semester presented itself with a plethora of new challenges including discovering new ways to volunteer. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, participating in community service may have seemed like an impossible feat. However, students across the country, found unique ways to continue to serve while remaining, primarily, at home. 

Whether your school, district, or club has a service requirement, or encourages students to serve, the process to track, manage, report on, and engage students in service can be complicated and time consuming. 

Community service is an important element in education. Reports have shown that participating in community service during high school positively impacts a student and even increases a student's likelihood of being accepted into college. While service is great, there are complications 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.

Welcome Back to School! 

Classes are in session, students are memorizing their schedule and admins are getting organized for the year ahead of them. Which means, it’s the perfect time to set up your x2VOL account for success. There are a couple things you can do to ensure you are ready to start off the new school year on the right foot so your students can start logging hours:

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.