Community Agency FAQs
How can we work with Loyola service learning students?
How are service learning students different from ordinary student volunteers?
What kind of work will Loyola service learning students do at our agency?
I work for a local nonprofit agency and would like to explore the possibility of having Loyola service learning students volunteer at my agency. How can I begin this process?
- Fill out our Interested Agency Form, found at www.loyno.edu/servicelearning/forms, or request a paper version by calling our office at 865.2282 or emailing us at sl@loyno.edu.
- We’ll contact you and schedule at least one site visit to your agency, possibly more than one depending on how many sites your agency has.
- Next we’ll plan a meeting or, if necessary, a series of meetings with agency staff, including anyone who might directly supervise Loyola students as well as someone in a permanent leadership position at the agency, preferably an executive director. At this meeting we will discuss the following:
- Mutual needs.
- Logistical matters, including but not limited to student tasks, course learning goals, transportation and scheduling issues, pre-service requirements for student volunteers, and supervision of student volunteers.
- Loyola service learning procedures (paperwork, student evaluations, semester timelines, etc).
- Finally, we’ll ask you to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Office of Service Learning and your agency.
Only once an agency has been through these steps can we consider making your agency an active partner site. This process can be accelerated or slowed down by a variety of factors, but it usually takes at least a few weeks. Therefore we require that agencies desiring to host Loyola students during the fall semester contact us or submit an interested agency form by July 31st, and that agencies wishing to host students during the spring semester do so by November 1st.
What is service learning?
Service learning links academic course work with social action and real world experience. The goal is for students to:
- gain insights which are relevant to their class
- apply, understand, or critically assess concepts they've learned in class
- provide a real benefit to your agency
- learn about social justice and injustice
- learn about your clients
- learn how service agencies and nonprofit organizations work
- come to understand themselves better
- get connected to the greater New Orleans community
Because of Loyola's Jesuit heritage, we also believe service learning is a way to form young people toward social responsibility, solidarity, and a concern for justice and the common good.
How can we work with Loyola service learning students?
Most often, service learning students in a particular class will volunteer regularly at several different agencies throughout the semester. This is often called a service learning "placement." In some cases, all the students in a particular class will work together on a project which benefits your agency. In this case, your agency will be matched with a class project in advance.
What do we have to do?
Someone at your agency will need to be designated as site coordinator. This person will need to communicate with students and respond to their phone calls and emails, especially at the beginning of each semester when students are deciding where to serve. You will also need to work out a regular schedule with each student at the beginning of the semester. You will need to assign the students to appropriate tasks. If they need to be trained or oriented in order to accomplish these tasks, you need to provide this in a timely fashion. Staff members at your agency will also need to provide ongoing supervision.
Often you will be asked to sign a placement confirmation form or a service learning contract at the beginning of the semester. This is an official document indicating your agreement to have the student serve at your agency. You may be asked to sign student timesheets to keep an accurate record of service hours. In almost all cases, you will be asked to evaluate service learners at the end of the semester and give feedback on their performance. Evaluations can be completed using our online form. Either way, someone at your agency will need to invest time and energy in guiding and supervising service learning students.
How are service learning students different from ordinary student volunteers?
Good question! Loyola students do a lot of great volunteer work throughout the greater New Orleans area. In many cases, this is planned by a student group as a way to reach out to the community. Service learning students work in the community in conjunction with an academic course they're taking. Professors in many departments incorporate service into their classes as a way to enrich student learning. This means that service learning students have an added level of accountability for their service work.
What kind of work will Loyola service learning students do at our agency?
Lots of things! Most Loyola students have the basic skills needed for most volunteer positions, but many have additional gifts in research, music, art, languages, computers, sports, etc. You should clearly describe the tasks you hope service learning students will perform and train them accordingly. You should also spend some time orienting students to your agency. For example, you should tell students about your agency's core values, mission, history and current programs.
Direct service experiences are usually preferable to indirect service experiences (such as filing or computer work). Students generally learn more when they have person-to-person contact with the clients or guests at your agency. Some professors require students to seek out service placements where they can be engaged in specific activities (tutoring, speaking Spanish, etc).
I have Loyola service learning students volunteering at my agency and I have some concerns. What should I do?
First, talk to the student about your agency's expectations. Be clear and direct. Second, call or email the Office of Service Learning to discuss your concerns. The staff can work with service learning professors, students and agencies to resolve problems and make the service learning experience better for everyone. Finally, fill out this evaluation. Your feedback is important and will be taken into account when students are graded.