Youth community service and leadership go to the core of what Civic Nebraska is all about. Youth critically thinking and identifying issues in their community that they care about, engaging in civil discourse, and then doing something substantive about it. Civic Nebraska provides all of the curriculum, program logistics, and financial resources for the projects for the students and/or educators.
Civic Nebraska provides service to the community and youth leadership training and experience through facilitating high-quality Service Learning as defined by the National Youth Leadership Council. Service learning is a teaching strategy that integrates service in the community with classroom curriculum. Students participate in authentic service, their voice is present, they reflect throughout, and they collaborate with stakeholders to complete a meaningful project.
Through these projects and together with partners, individual and community civic health will improve. These projects:
- Meet authentic community needs
- Develop academic, leadership and employment skills
- Address academic standards
- Provide structured time for a person students to reflect upon the service activity
- Foster a lifelong commitment to service for the community
- Will include all essential elements of meaningful service learning
These projects are taking place in Lincoln, Omaha, and now in rural areas across the state. We partner with schools, agencies, non-profits, and the university system to create a collaborative network that benefits all stakeholders. To find out about our after-school programs, contact Kent Day, Director of Civic Engagement Programs at 402.990.8489.