1. Service Learning Making a (Sustainable) Difference with
Policy, Systems and Environmental Changes

2. Community Service vs. Service Learning
What’s the difference?
People have a tendency to use the terms volunteering, community service and service learning interchangably.
However, they can be very different.

3. What is community service?
Community Service is a non-paying activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions. Performing community service is not the same as volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis.
A volunteer performs a valuable FREE service to benefit others.
How is that different from community service?
Community Service is a non-paying activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions. Performing community service is not the same as volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis.
What are some examples of community service that is not voluntary?
(typical answers: community service done to satisfy a court order; community service done as a requirement for a class.)

4. What is Service Learning?
Service Learning is a learning approach that combines community service with classroom experiences to enrich learning, to teach civic responsibility and leadership, and to strengthen communities.
Have there been times that you worked with classmates to do community service?
What are some examples?

5. Community service example
If students remove trash from a streambed,
they are providing a service to the community as volunteers.
Community service is a service that is highly valued and important.
For example, If students remove trash from a streambed, they are providing a service to the community as volunteers.

6. Service-learning example
When students removed trash from a streambed:
they analyzed what they found.
they shared the results and offered suggestions for the neighbors to reduce pollution.
they increased their leadership skills.
Service Learning makes a
sustainable difference!
When students removed trash from a streambed:
they analyzed what they found.
they shared the results and offered suggestions for the neighbors to reduce pollution.
they increased their leadership skills.
In this scenario, the students are providing an important service to the community AND,
learning about water quality and laboratory analysis,
developing an understanding of pollution issues,
learning to interpret science issues to the public, and
practicing communications skills by speaking to residents.
Service Learning makes a sustainable difference!
What does sustainable mean?
In this example, what made the project sustainable?

7. Sustaining Change through PSE
What are Policy, Systems and Environmental changes? Policy, systems and environmental change is a new way of thinking about how to effectively improve health in a community. For many years, health programs have focused on individual behavior, assuming that if you teach people what will make them healthy, they will find a way to do it. Unfortunately, being healthy is not just about individual choices.
Policy, systems and environmental change is a new way of thinking about how to effectively improve health in a community. For many years, health programs have focused on individual behavior, assuming that if you teach people what will make them healthy, they will find a way to do it. Unfortunately, being healthy is not just about individual choices.

8. What’s the Difference Between Policy, Systems and Environmental Change and Programs?
Setting
Programs/Events
Policy, Systems and Environmental Change
Community
Teach Yoga for Kids program at summer library program
Library makes policy that each student computer user must stop every 50 minutes and take a 10 minute exercise break
School
Recruit team for Walk Across Arkansas
Work with wellness committee to open school grounds after hours for family use
Celebrate national nutrition month.
Add fruit and vegetables to the a la carte options in schools.
The first example is a policy change.
Adding fruits and veggies to the a la carte options is a system change.
Opening school grounds is both a policy and environmental change.

9. Why is PSE important?
Policy, systems and environmental change is a way of modifying the environment to make healthy choices practical and available to all community members.
By changing laws and shaping physical landscapes, a big impact can be made with little time and resources.
Policy, systems and environmental change is a way of modifying the environment to make healthy choices practical and available to all community members.
By changing laws and shaping physical landscapes, a big impact can be made with little time and resources.

10. Why is PSE important to community health issues?
Communities can help tackle health issues like obesity, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases by working together to change their environments.
In order to make lasting change in their environments, community activists have to secure those changes with policy and/or system changes.

11. Where you live affects how you live
You simply can’t make healthy decisions if healthy options aren’t available to you.
Where you live affects how you live.
Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
Policy, systems and environmental change makes healthier choices a real, feasible option for every community member by looking at the laws, rules and environments that impact our behavior.

12. About Policy Change
Policy change includes the passing of laws, ordinances, resolutions, mandates, regulations, or rules. • Government bodies, school districts, park districts, healthcare organizations, worksites and other community institutions all make policy change. • Policies greatly influence the choices we make in our lives.
Policy change includes the passing of laws, ordinances, resolutions, mandates, regulations, or rules. • Government bodies (federal, state, local level), school districts and schools, park districts, healthcare organizations (hospitals, health systems), worksites and other community institutions (jails, daycare centers, senior living centers, faith institutions) all make policy change. • Policies greatly influence the choices we make in our lives. Laws that are passed (like workplace policies, school policies) greatly influence the daily decisions we make about our health. • Examples: Adding a tax on unhealthy food, passing a law allowing residents to plant community gardens in vacant lots, schools establishing a policy that prohibits junk food in school fundraising drives.

13. About Systems Change
• System change involves change made to the rules within an organization. Systems change and policy change often work hand-in-hand. • Systems change impacts all elements of an organization. • Example: Developing a system / criteria for school parties to ensure they are in line with school wellness policy.
• System change involves change made to the rules within an organization. Systems change and policy change often work hand-in-hand. • Systems change impacts all elements of an organization. Often systems change focuses on changing infrastructure within a school, park, worksite or health setting. • Examples: Developing a system / criteria for school parties to ensure they are in line with school wellness policy.

14. About environmental change
• Environmental change is a change made to the physical environment. • Environmental change can be as simple as installing bike signage on already established bike routes or as complex as sidewalk installation and pedestrian friendly intersections to promote walking and biking among its citizens.
• Environmental change is a change made to the physical environment. • Environmental change can be as simple as installing bike signage on already established bike routes or as complex as sidewalk installation and pedestrian friendly intersections to promote walking and biking among its citizens. • Examples: Municipality undertakes a planning process to ensure better pedestrian and bicycle access to main roads and parks.

15. Who benefits from Service Learning?
Students
School and/or other institutions
Community
Students strengthen their ability to apply what they have learned to “the real world”.
Schools and other institutions are improved by student involvement.
The community benefits from the growth of community leadership.
Complexity of understanding, problem analysis, critical thinking, and cognitive development
Service-learning contributes to career development

16. How will you approach your service learning project?
Start by brainstorming for some potential issues that a project might address. Form a group (COALITION) of ___ to ___ members to address one issue. Follow the Service Learning – PSE Project Planning guide

17. STEP 1. Identify The Decision To Be Made / Issue To Be Addressed.
A. State as a goal / objective.
B. Include needs assessment – How was this
need / issue brought to your attention?

18. STEP 2. Identify Available Resources And Possible Options.
A. Will your project require technical assistance such as input from experts,
additional manpower, assistance from policy
makers, etc.?
B. Who are your potential partners?
C. What resources will you need and what are your ideas for attaining them?

19. STEP 3. Weigh Pros And Cons Of Each Option.
A. How will you build in sustainability (ways to keep this project going) after it is
implemented?
B. Consider policy, systems and / or
environmental changes that could sustain
the project.

20. STEP 4. Select The Best Options.
A. Consider your options in terms of how
they can help you develop and
implement a project that has the potential to continue in the future.
B. State your option choices in terms of a
mission statement.

21. STEP 5. Act On The Decision.
A. Name your project.
B. Develop a timeline for completing the
project.
C. List your coalition members (class
members working on the project) and
their responsibilities for the project.

22. STEP 6. Evaluate The Results of the Decision / Project.
Determine how will you measure the success of the project?

23. Document your success!
Create a power point that describes your project and celebrates its success. Include:
Description of project including how the project can be sustained through policy, systems and/or environmental change.
Photos of coalition members and partners working on the service learning / PSE project
Short quotes from those who participated / benefited from your project
Quotes from your coalition members regarding their participation/experiences with the project.

24. Questions?