While the concept of volunteerism in schools is not new, these days students’ sense of global awareness demands a redefinition for how we can better empower students to embrace their civic duty. Schools have an opportunity (and some might say obligation) to further embrace the concept of project-based learning (PBL) as a way to expose students of all ages to service-learning opportunities. In this day of personalized experiences, schools ought to support matching students’ interests and passions to volunteer experiences. And they should help promote social change by connecting students to others.
77% of student volunteers said that their understanding of people had increased as a result of volunteering.
Treedom is a dynamic platform which offers schools this exact solution. Community-based public and private sectors can connect with students by posting their opportunities in Treedom’s live feed/public forum. Students can then browse this curated and filterable list of meaningful service experiences to find ones that pique their interest and fit their schedules. Afterwards, students can record, reflect, and share their experiences through their individual digital profiles. Treedom’s in-app gamification motivates students to go above and beyond a “one and done” experience. These profiles not only provide accountability, but capture each student’s authentic learning, providing proof points for future job or college aspirations.
58% of college admissions personnel agree that community service experiences have a positive impact on a student’s acceptance.
While Treedom provides a hub of discovery and exploration for students, school administrators can track their students’ engagement and interaction through the Software Suite, which includes an impact dashboard. This data-rich dashboard illustrates in real time the effect of students’ service learning. And the web-based portal provides a digital hub for school personnel and students to connect and reflect together on the power of service learning. As research has shown, this commitment to and promotion of service learning has many academic and social-emotional benefits for students’ academic careers and life ventures.
74% of students experienced a wider range of friendships through volunteering.
Treedom does more than just highlight volunteerism in schools; rather, it empowers entire school communities to mobilize through its rich storytelling, putting faces to causes, in order to emphasize the potential and impact of social good. Treedom incites a bias towards action with its easy-to-use platform that measures outcomes, not input. By inviting students to be agents of change, we at Treedom are helping redefine how real-world experiences can lead to meaningful learning.
51% of recently employed graduates under 30, stated that volunteering helped them to secure employment.
Check out the possibilities for your students and school community today at www.treedom.co.
