Who Can Win and How

High-quality projects mean a lot of people winning. Note: results vary, including with project duration, community partner relationship quality, activity types, and use of best practices.

Increased or improved
  • Overall knowledge, including the amount of course content retained (including by observing and participating in applications of it outside of class)
    • Understanding of different social contexts that can lead to "systematic problems" (and otherwise influence people's lives)
      • Moral judgment/ability to learn from challenges to their attitudes and beliefs (including assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices, etc.)
        • Attitudes about acting in ways likely to have positive community impacts (and sense of being impactful)
          • Specific workplace skills or knowledge, including about conditions in a non-profit or other setting
            • Sense of purpose/the ability to make more informed career decisions based on practical experience
              • Preparedness for active civic participation in a diverse democratic society
                • Self image and self-confidence, including in having impacts and applying their knowledge beyond the classroom
                  • Teamwork and leadership skills, including working with adults
                    • Emotional well-being/satisfaction of contributing to personal, community, or environmental health
                      • Ethics, inter-cultural understanding, and respect for diversity
                      Building contacts for future networking and career opportunities
                      Adding to a career portfolio
                      Having opportunities to test, apply, and add to knowledge/skills learned in school
                      Preparing to transition to a workplace or post-secondary education/training
                      Opportunities
                      • To integrate social emotional learning
                        • To enhance academic, civic, and personal development (e.g., responsibility-taking) among learners
                          • To integrate educators' and learners' personal values and areas of interest
                            • To apply differentiated instruction and learning and use alternative assessment methods
                            Increased
                            • Ability to support learner identities as community members/contributors
                              • Year-to-year variety (when project topics vary)
                              Improved relations with surrounding communities
                              Increased student interest in and ownership of the learning process
                              New opportunities for students to meet service requirements (including to graduate or complete restorative justice agreements) AND get academic credit
                              Improved relations and cooperation with schools
                              Access to new energy, enthusiasm, and participant perspectives to help achieve community goals
                              Staffing connections/leads on potential new hires or long-term volunteers