Service-Learning
As part of our mission, SKJAJA provides opportunities for young people to connect with the world outside themselves through service. By engaging in individual and group service learning projects, SKJAJA youth harness their world changing aspirations to build compassion, connect people and communities and create social change.
All SKJAJA students are asked to complete a service-learning project within 10 weeks of receiving SKJAJA funding. Students may choose to create a customized service project to match their interests or address a need they’ve identified in the community. They can also participate in one of the many planned group SKJAJA Service Days that take place throughout the school year.
Although most SKJAJA Service Days are limited to SKJAJA students and families, we welcome members of the community to join us where space is available. Visit our 2021-22 Service Days Calendar for a current schedule. The SKJAJA team of staff and volunteers is available to support students in thinking through and/or planning a customized service project. Please email us for more information.
Note: Due to Covid-19 and the continued need for social distancing, Service Days are restricted to SKJAJA students and families until further notice. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to serve alongside you soon!
Service-Learning Project Ideas:
SKJAJA service-learning activities range from customized individual projects to collaborative group experiences. Over the last 12 years, SKJAJA students have:
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Joined in group SKJAJA Service Days with other SKJAJA families, in projects ranging from working at a local food bank to beautifying a community garden;
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Become a member or led a high school SKJAJA service club;
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Volunteered at a school or local nonprofit;
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Created public art, such as murals, and/or performed publicly for strangers, neighbors, or community groups;
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Tutored young students in reading, or another preferred academic area;
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Organized recreational sporting activities for younger students;
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Baked or made cards for hospital or nursing home residents;
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Provided complimentary services to friends and neighbors, such as babysitting, lawn maintenance, or dog walking
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and more!
View our list of Service Project Ideas, organized by age, for more ideas on how you can give back, at any age!
Past Service Projects
SKJAJA students often create an individual service project combining their personal interests and a need they identify within their communities. For example:
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One high school viola student who’s SKJAJA funding supported private music lessons painted a mural in her high school music wing and volunteered with her orchestra director;
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One student wanted to learn the cello, and in return started a youth string orchestra at his church and they performed at local nursing homes;
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Other students have
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created cards for children enduring long hospital stays
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Set up the barre before ballet class each week
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took the trash out for an elderly neighbor during the cold winter months
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If you’re an applicant or SKJAJA student seeking more service project ideas, view our list of Service Project Ideas, organized by age. Please see our application page for further resources and support in creating a meaningful service learning project.
Northside Elementary School Social Worker