 | Upcoming Volunteering Opportunities 3 summer service opportunities for sixth, seventh or eighth graders. Check them out on BostonCares.org.
Bikes Not Bombs uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change through innovative youth and international programs here in Boston and in the Global South.†Bikes Not Bombs provides community-based education and assists development projects with recycled bicycles, related technologies, and technical assistance as concrete alternatives to the militarism, over-consumption, and inequality that breed war and environmental destruction. †It recycles over 5,000 bikes each year and its programs involve young people and adults in mutually respectful leadership development and environmental stewardship. The Green Roots Festival is part of their biggest community building event of the year, with music, speakers, food, and a focus on quality transportation options as a integral part of livable communities around the world. To pull this outdoor festival day of fun off Bikes Not Bombs will need volunteers in helping to staff food, water, recycling, games, and welcome stations, as well as much more. All volunteers will be fed and receive a limited edition Bikes Not Bombs t-shirt too! 12+. All youth under 16 must be accompanied by an adult over 18.
Each day Community Servings prepares and packages 725 meals for men, women, and children who are struggling with acute life threatening illnesses. Join the community servings chefs in the kitchen preparing food for the critically ill. Volunteers will help the staff slice, chop, and cook meals for individuals and families battling HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, or other life-threatening illnesses. Volunteers must wear shirts with sleeves, long pants (below the knee), a hat and closed-toed shoes. Volunteers must also be in good health to assist in the kitchen. Even common colds can pose a risk to clients.13+ (Children under 18 will not be permitted to use knives, and there must be a 1:1 adult to child ratio).
Teen TeamWorks is presented by Boston Cares, a nonprofit organization that provides team-based community service opportunities that work to improve the many different communities in Greater Boston. Teen TeamWorks is a four day, small group volunteer program designed for teens ages 13-17. The program provides opportunities for teenagers to participate in teambuilding and leadership workshops, in addition to daily volunteer projects. Participants will also learn about the issues, organizations and action steps that affect local communities. July 2012's Teen TeamWorks will focus on environmentalism and sustainability within the Boston community. Teens will engage in environmental cleanups, planting, and other activities that will aim to make Boston a greener place to live.
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Here is a new resource for finding kid-friendly (and adult) community service opportunities...
Started by a group of Cambridge residents (several of them Shady Hill families), Many Helping Hands has been running a Martin Luther King Day of Service the last two years in Central Square. They have just launched a website where you can search for volunteer possibilities for any time of year in Cambridge. Check it out for the summer or for year-round service opportunities: http://manyhelpinghands365.org/volunteering-with-kids/
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Family Volunteering opportunities coming up at BostonCares during April Vacation Week and Global Youth Service Day:
- Kids Who Care at the Greater Boston Food Bank
- Sort Clothes at Room to Grow
- Pack Snack Bags for the Walk for Hunger
- Charles River Clean up - CRWA organizes, too.
- Decorate Reusable Bags for the Clients of the Greater Boston Food Bank
Rachel Freedline, Youth & Education Coordinator
phone: 617-422-0910 x 208
fax: 617-422-0911
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We had a nice turn out, about 15 volunteers on Sunday, May 6, for the Lower School Playground Spring Clean Up. They painted the grey boxes on the playground, weeded and planted new plants in the Nature Area, weeded and planted in the Stanton garden, deadheaded daffodils, raked wood chips, and re-set water tubs and fencing in the Nature Area. |
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Vision
The Shady Hill School’s Service Learning Program helps children become confident and ethical citizens who are active in their school community and in the world around them. The program encourages all learners to discover both their talents and the positive difference that they can make through action.
Defining Service
Service Learning connects curriculum and skill development to community needs and service projects; student ownership and reflection are essential components. Community Service provides opportunities to collaborate and help others in the community (at SHS and beyond). These types of projects are not necessarily connected to curriculum.
Mission
To use Service Learning and Community Service to provide hands-on exploration and in-depth, real-life service experiences that build students’ respect and compassion for others as well as their skills and knowledge.
Service provides opportunities for students to challenge prejudices, to respect differences and multiple perspectives, and to forge an interdependent community of learners working together. It’s a chance for students to see how they can create a better world.
Through age-appropriate projects, students learn about the benefits and responsibilities of belonging to a community. They explore issues of equity and justice, environmental sustainability, civic and social action, and caring for others. We want to help students see that they can create change not merely out of a sense of obligation, but because they have a compelling and genuine sense of caring.
Overall Goals for our Service Program
Service Learning and Community Service projects, combined, will:
• connect classroom experiences and learning to the larger world, expanding and deepening students’ understanding
• teach service strategies (on and off campus) in order to nurture a sense of ethical and global citizenship, to encourage life-long engagement in improving communities and their quality of life, and to help students overcome differences so they can pursue shared purpose with others
• provide opportunities to collaborate, teach, take the initiative, and solve problems
• develop students’ self-confidence, independent thinking and understanding of the multiple dimensions involved in tackling social, civic and environmental problems
• meet genuine community needs
• give students a chance to reflect on their actions, experiences and learning
• inspire students to improve the quality of life on our campus and beyond it
• strengthen our community through service to others and to other communities
• be a part of each student’s experience at least once each year, in any discipline |
Volunteering Opportunities Local Volunteer Opportunities:
TeenLife Community Service Fair & Expo - Sunday, Feb. 12 Students, parents, and teachers are invited to attend the fifth annual Teen Life LIVE! Community Service Fair & Expo on February 12th from 12-4pm at The Mall at Chestnut Hill. Meet face-to-face with representatives from 50 local non-profits†and find out about a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for students in grades 7-12. The event is free! †Be sure to pre-register to expedite check in.† For more information visit www.teenlife.com/CSFair2012Boston.
MSPCA Angell has new family service opportunities for kids under 16. Upcoming dates are Feb 20, April 16, May 28th. You can register from their website www.mspca.org.
Prepare a lunch at home for On The Rise, a homeless day shelter for women in Cambridge. They also have Saturday work days (1st of the month) around the place and evening tours/presentations about what they do there. For more information contact at Marisa.Serrano@ontherise.org or (617) 497-7968 x 36.
Cradles to Crayons’ Giving Factory in Brighton needs help sorting donations. Regular shifts are second and fourth Tuesdays 6-8pm; and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturdays 10-12 or 1-2. They are especially in need this month. Marissa@cradlestocrayons.org.
Kids Who Care is The Greater Boston Food Bank’s program for children as young as ten, so they can volunteer alongside families and friends bagging and boxing food for families at risk of hunger in eastern Massachusetts. The program includes: An introduction to GBFB, training in safety andfood handling, a hands-on service activity, and information on other ways kids can help fight hunger. Kids Who Care events are scheduled during February and April school vacation weeks. Sign up is managed through Boston Cares through their Booyah! Program. If you have any questions, please contact the Volunteer Department by email at volunteer@gbfb.org or at 617-427-5200.
Habitat's (Audubon in Belmont) Intergenerational Program meets on Wednesdays 2:30-5 for group projects. For more information contact Phyl Solomon, HIP Coordinator 617-484-0117 PHYL87@comcast.net They also have an outdoor spring cleanup volunteer day on Saturday, April 28, 9:00am to noon. http://www.massaudubon.org/workforwildlife/ If you‘re interested in this volunteer opportunity or have special skills to offer please contact Lisa Becker at habitat@massaudubon.org or 617-489-5050.
The Cambridge Homes - Student Volunteers Wanted
The Cambridge Homes is looking for seventh or eighth graders who'd like to teach computer lessons, play board games, read aloud, do manicures, play Wii -tennis and bowling in particular, or do other activities with their residents. It is an assisted living facility with about 45 residents, and Shady Hill classes have had an ongoing partnership with them for many years. If your family is interested, please contact Somita Ray, their Social Activities Director, sray@thecambridgehomes.org, 617-876-0369.
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