OUR MISSION
service learning (n.) (a.k.a. ”action civics”):
1. a teaching and learning strategy that integrates service with instruction, and
2. youth-driven advocacy projects that transform schools and communities by giving young people an opportunity to make their voices heard, and
3. a hands-on youth development program that increases young people’s civic knowledge & civic confidence, and
4. a critical component of an education model that takes seriously its responsibility to prepare students for their role in a democracy.
At SLP, we believe children and teens have powerful solutions to the complex problems facing our country.
We help schools and community organizations create opportunities for youth in grades K-12 to become active citizens in their schools and communities.
Through our school day and after-school programs, young people become agents of change, learning through the process that civic engagement is essential to an effective and equitable democracy.
We support education that provides opportunities for young people of all ages to think critically about the world, engage in action civics and help make public policy.
The result is a culture in which youth believe civic participation is not only a right but a critical responsibility.
SLP youth of all ages learn how to make change, both locally and nationally. Students living and attending school in more affluent neighborhoods are encouraged to challenge the status quo and advocate for a more equitable society. Students in historically under-served neighborhoods, who too often feel invisible and unrepresented, make their voices heard and demand that our leaders grapple with the complex challenges faced by their peers and neighbors.
Since 2011, using our proven effective model of action civics, we have helped thousands of elementary, middle, and high school students become leaders in their schools and agents of change in their communities. Participants identify a school or community concern, become experts through intensive research, develop an alternative solution, and implement their plan to raise public awareness and advocate for change.
Every project is completely youth-led. Every solution has a real and meaningful impact.
Inspired by the results of our programs, the NYC’s Mayor’s Office (NYC Service), Department of Education (DOE), and Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) have partnered with us to train teachers and staff on how to implement the SLP method of action civics.