Community Participation PowerPoint Presentation

PurposeCommunity ParticipationMaking a Difference• Learning through experience can be themost powerful learning of all•This requirement gives students theopportunity to actually experience theconcepts learned in schoolAcceptable Activities• Read the list in the instructionscarefully•The amount of “event credit” isdetermined by the amount ofparticipation•Please check BEFORE youparticipate in an activity to besure it will countUnacceptable Activities• “Nice thing to do, but nothing to dowith class.”•This is the determining factor usedto declare an activity acceptable ornot•We are not discouraging you fromdoing “nice” things, but they do notallow you to “experience” classconceptsUnacceptable Examples• Volunteering at your church, thehospital, or your kindergartenteacher’s classroom are very “nice”things to do, but they do not connectto any learning from Government orEconomicsAcceptable Example• Attending a protest or gathering petitionsfor the upcoming elections• Organizing a meeting or event that relatesdirectly to class information• Starting a club on campus to fight druguse, ease traffic at lunch/after school,or……• All these examples go beyond being a goodperson and involve concepts relevant to yourclasses1

Level 1 – Sit and Watch• School Board Meeting – 1 credit• City Council – 1 credit• Home Owners Association – 1 credit• Town Hall meeting – 1 credit• Commission meeting – 1 credit• School Site Council meeting – 1 credit• Above activities = 6 creditsLevel 2 Example - Participate• City Hall meeting and write letter – 2credits• Amnesty International Presentation andCandlelight walk – 2 credits• Town Hall meeting – attend and ask aquestion of the speaker – 2 credits• Above events = 6 creditsLevel 3 – Creating Change –Host/Organize• Example – Joining a Committee that wantsto stop Teenage Alcohol Abuse and createawareness.• Student helps organize events, town hallmeeting, speaks to City Council and workswith police department.• Provides to teacher ongoing activityevidence.• Above event = 6 creditsLevel 3 Examples-Form your own group• Safe Driving Town Hall Forum• Teens and Alcohol – Town Hall Forum• Hwy 101 – Why are businesses andcommunities different along the 101?• Solutions for Change – Work with groupon project /Research Poverty• Parking Lot Safety – A lesson inbureaucracy.Level #3 – Join a groupand get involved• Youth Coalitions from City government• Surfrider Foundation• Amnesty International(N.County –notduring school day!)• Adelante Mujer – Empowering youngwomen• Elac Meetings• Other? What is your interest/passion?Negatives• It takes some of your time you wouldmost likely use some other way• It can be boring depending on whatyou choose• It can be stressful, especially forthose of you who wait until the lastminute2

Positives• Become a part of something you neverknew was available• Understand class concepts better becauseyou “saw” them with your own eyes• Make contacts for Letters ofRecommendation• Use hours as examples, concrete details inother class workHonesty and Integrity• Expectations on Conduct at events• Lateness, Cell phones, homework, sleeping,talking to your peers are not acceptable atevents. This seems obvious, but it happens.• Cheating – forging signatures or not attendingthe activity you said you had attended is notacceptable.• Cheating – results in an automatic failing of theproject AND the class.Websites• www.rbvhs.org or ranchosocialstudies.org• Go to Social Studies site and print outyour own copies of CommunityParticipation forms.• Teacher websites – check regularly onyour teacher’s website – new activitiesmay be listed. However, ultimately, up toyou to find events!And finally…this can befun and rewarding!• Try to choose events that meansomething to you.• Go prepared to your events. Go onmapquest or google maps for directions.• Look up the agenda to a meeting prior toattending meeting.• Ask teachers when you need clarity!• Share with others what you learn!3