How to Join the National Youth Leadership Council

The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) promotes service learning as a tool to empower youths and transform them into contributing members of society. Service learning is a hands-on teaching method that combines a learning objective with a real need. Educators or other youth leaders can join this movement. The NYLC offers training, certification opportunities, personal assistance and conference gatherings to help get you started.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make a commitment to implement the NYLC philosophy and teaching techniques on your campus or within your organization. It is important to garner support from your administration, colleagues or board of directors. Make sure everyone is committed to providing a new educational method and learning experience for the youth in your community.

2. Take advantage of the customized training session offered by the NYLC. Trained personnel with service-learning experience and implementation skills can help facilitate the development of a service-learning component for your educational or community-based organization.

3. Join an elite group of service-learning professionals by obtaining a "Certificate of Excellent Practice in K-12 Service-Learning" from the NYLC. This new initiative is designed to promote a consistent level of practice in regards to service learning.

4. Take part in the National Service Learning Exchange which can provide you with personal assistance at any stage of your service-learning initiative. A skilled staff person or skilled mentor can offer advice and provide suggestions to make your initiative a success.

5. Utilize the NYLC's consulting services. Staff is available to help you develop new programs or add service-learning into your existing educational plan. Professional assistance ranges from brief consultations to curriculum writing. These services can be tailored to your specific needs and budget.

6. Join existing initiatives to gain experience with the service-learning model. It is important to get involved in current programs and projects sponsored by the NYLC. The organization supports a variety of ongoing initiatives which can allow you to utilize your skills and gain hands-on experience with educational techniques.

7. Develop your own local initiative that is based on the learning objectives established by the NYLC. Educate students on the importance of this learning method and how they should approach activities. Proper education is just as important as implementation.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit the website of the National Youth Leadership Council for a list of programs and training opportunities (see Resources below).

Resources

• National Youth Leadership Council website

[aschulte]

on 3/19/2008 Hello, I am an associate of The National Youth Leadership Council, and I was wondering if someone could please contact me regarding this posting: [e-mail]. Thank you,
Amy Schulte