Self-esteem, leadership skills and communication skills were cited by student philanthropists from New York City high-risk high schools as major accomplishments gained from their participation in the Student Service and Philanthropy Project. And 80% of the students said they thought they would be involved in some form of community service in their adult lives. SSPP builds on the belief that teenagers are capable contributors to society, they have valuable ideas, and they can take on responsibility with energy and skill.

SSPP is a service learning program where student-run "mini-foundations" are set up in participating high schools and youth programs using the Resource Guide for Establishing a Student-Run Foundation. Over the course of the year the students:

- Learn about philanthropy, fundraising, grantmaking and community service in class and through direct experience.

- Design, fund and implement service projects based on their assessments of specific community needs.

- Acquire leadership skills, learn to work as a team and have opportunities to reflect on their service experiences and become a positive force in their communities.

SSPP was established by the Surdna Foundation in 1991. Since then, thousands of students have participated in the project in New York City and in over thirty cities and towns across the country. They have created hundreds of community service projects and touched the lives of thousands of people in their communities.

The program was evaluated very favorably by the NYC Board of Education Evaluation Unit. A copy of the evaluation is available. Send your request to Linda Frank. When one student said, "In the beginning I didn't know what philanthropy was; now I've lived it," they gave it the best evaluation.  

   Acknowledgements

 The Student Service and Philanthropy Project is the work of many people. Ed Skloot, the executive director of the Surdna Foundation, conceived this wonderful idea and the Surdna's board had the wisdom to devote their resources to its development. With the support of the New York City Board of Education we piloted the program in high-risk schools in New York.

The magic in any school program is, of course, the teacher. Working with me in developing this project were three of the best. Dana Willens, Tom Porten and Jim Mulqueen worked from the start to make SSPP an exciting classroom experience. We have created new material, as well as drawn upon the work of other organizations in the field of leadership development. Jeanne North served as editor extraordinaire.

While SSPP was used with high school students, the model can be adapted for younger students as well. Running a foundation will be a natural outgrowth for students who have learned about the history of private action for the public good. Making grants to students who have recognized a need in their communities reinforces the role of the individual in our society. Service can be a transforming experience for all involved, young and old.

Please stay in touch and let us know what you're doing. Linda Frank, Executive Director.

 Introduction

Empowerment for Youth

The Student Service and Philanthropy Project (SSPP) provides students with an opportunity to effect positive change in their community through this innovative leadership program. By creating mini-foundations, young people are empowered to propose, review, implement and fund service projects that make a difference.

There are three specific objectives of SSPP:

• Students learn about philanthropy and community service through school and direct service.

• Students design, fund and implement concrete plans of action around issues and needs of their community.

• Students share and assess their service experiences and accomplishments as individuals and as team members.

SSPP's uniqueness is its assumption that youth are competent and capable of implementing valuable ideas. The leadership skills they acquire empower them to realize ideas and dreams for their schools and communities. The reality of seeing results from their own decisions and problem-solving skills creates a strong sense of self-esteem and confidence.

Here is how it works:

In Semester One, students

• engage in activities designed to enhance teamwork;

• study the history of foundations and how they work;

• identify community needs;

• develop ideas and projects to solve problems;

• learn grant writing and evaluation;

• practice leadership and public speaking skills.

In Semester Two, students

• undertake community service projects and supervision;

• engage in reflective activities;

• learn problem solving and decision making;

• practice journal writing.

We have observed that the students who participate in the project have come away with a heightened sense of self-esteem, having made a contribution to community life. While running a foundation, students practice leadership skills, learn a great deal about working with others and acquire crucial public speaking and public listening skills. Students have received academic credit for the course as part of their social studies requirement or as an elective.

Educational Focus

The SSPP curriculum is a true service learning experience as defined by the National and Community Service Act of 1990 quoted below:

[This] "educational method. . .1) helps students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet actual community needs and are coordinated in collaboration with the school and community; 2) is integrated into the students' academic curriculum or provides a structured time for a student to think, talk, or write about what he or she did and saw during the service activity; 3) provides students with the opportunity to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real-life situation in their own communities; and 4) enhances what is taught in school by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community and helps to foster a sense of caring for others."

SSPP combines the action of community service with the reflective activities of journal writing and group discussion. That special combination results in a rich education experience that enables students to become active members of their communities with the skills and confidence to get things done.

History of SSPP

The Surdna Foundation and the New York City Public Schools, Division of High Schools, established the Student Service and Philanthropy Project in the fall of 1991. To launch the program, three New York City high-risk high schools were chosen— George Washington in Manhattan, James Monroe in the Bronx and Automotive in Brooklyn—for their ethnic diversity and history of community service. In the first full year of the project, the three schools created and implemented 40 community service projects. There was an average of 10 to 15 students in each project who touched the lives of at least two people in the community. Thus the lives of, at least 1,800 people were affected by the school foundations that year. Some projects are listed in Unit III, Lesson Five.

The project was expanded to 18 schools over a five year period in New York City. In addition SSPP has been developed in over thirty cities and towns across the country where teachers working with the Resource Guide have taught the class as part of the school day or in an after school club.

The Office of Research, Evaluation and Assessment of the New York City Board of Education conducted an evaluation of the Project in the spring of 1994. The principal recommendation of the report was that the project be expanded to as many schools as possible. It stated in its evaluation that "students and school coordinators perceived large benefits for the students. These included the development of skills in leadership, communication, budgeting and analysis, as well as heightened self-esteem and the belief that they could achieve significant outcomes in the real world." Copies of the evaluation are available. Contact the Linda Frank. 

Fund-raising Ideas for Your School Foundation

A foundation is a not-for-profit organization that is funded by a corporation, a family or a community for the purpose of carrying on philanthropic activities. It has money. In establishing a school foundation, you must also develop a source of funding. While fund raising can be difficult, it is often as easy as just asking. And, if the students are doing the asking, the results will be even better. From setting up the appointment to making the presentation and following up with thank-you's, students will be learning important life skills.

Following is a list of fund-raising ideas—many more can be added when a class brainstorms on specific projects:

• Local service organizations such as the Lions, Rotary, Garden Club or Kiwanis may be asked for a major gift that the students could offer to match. The service organization's members might also be invited to speak to the class on subjects relevant to the curriculum or project. This partnership with a community service organization could benefit both the school and the service organization. Student "ownership" of the foundation must, however, always be reinforced.

• Local business people that benefit from the youth market segment— record stores, McDonald's, Burger King, pizza stores or any business near the school—can be asked to donate.

• Students can raise money by selling candy, giving a dance, sponsoring a foundation benefit Run, Walk or Bike-a-thon.

• Penny Harvesting can be very profitable and relatively easy. Large plastic bottles (from water coolers) or garbage cans on wheels can be placed in strategic and secure locations for students and faculty to place their pennies. Students could canvas their neighborhood, spend a day at the mall or on Main Skeet distributing information about their foundation, or ask their parents to "harvest" at their offices. The "harvest" could begin in October with "save your pennies" posters, with collection in November so that by December the students will know how much money has been raised to fund their projects. A local bank will be happy to come by to pick up unrolled pennies and have them counted by machine. Before that, the students may have to "clean up" the pennies by removing the paper clips, nickels, dimes and even dollars from the jars. (see the Resources section for the address of the Common Cents organization.)

Fund-raising activities are an important part of the program. Consider asking the PTA or other service organization in your community to help—the teacher can't organize it all. These activities provide wonderful opportunities for the students to use leadership skills in organizing events and to speak to members of their community about the project. Students participating in SSPP have stressed how much they learned about speaking in public. There is no better way to empower someone than through the gift of public speaking.

 How to Use This Guide

The teacher is a magic ingredient in any resource guide or curriculum and SSPP is no exception. Here the teacher is a coach, helping students run their foundation. While students have ultimate power and voting rights, teachers serve as guides throughout activities, guaranteeing and protecting those rights and maintaining the project's integrity.

The bibliography and resource section of the Guide list material that can be ordered and used for additional help and enrichment. A resource guide cannot stand alone. Lesson plan formats have been designed for easy use and maximum flexibility. In some a "Motivation" is written on the board for students to work on upon entering the classroom.

Units One through Four are to be done sequentially. Unit Five represents work for the second semester. Unit Four, however, gives leadership activities that may be done earlier in the first semester or as part of second semester work. Every class works at a different speed, so the teacher will be the best judge of when to draw on the Leadership activities. Because the activities are new and different, students are often reluctant to participate in them. They learn to love them and are transformed by them. The activities in the Guide are a mix of new and old, tried and true. A number of handouts are included where appropriate. Teachers are invited to add their own material to make this course an even richer experience.

Some suggestions:

• Bulletin Board—Do whatever you must to get bulletin board space in a heavily trafficked area of the school. Pictures of the students in the foundation, their names, grant application forms, deadline dates, lists of projects, pictures of projects and anything else the students may want to display will draw attention to the foundation. A brief description of the foundation and its guidelines and how other students can participate is very important. Have the class choose someone to be the foundation photographer and other students to be in charge of the bulletin board. Remember, this is their foundation.

• Classroom—There is a lot of group work in this project. Arranging chairs in a circle will lead to more productive group work.

• Buttons—These are an inexpensive way of giving students something that draws attention to the school foundation.

• Foundation Finances—Money may be kept in a school account or a local bank might donate a checking account that students can manage with the teacher.

• Groups Outside the School—Local Scout troops and church groups can also be advised of the work of the school foundation so they may apply for grants.

• Insurance - Check your school's policy to be sure that the issue of liability is addressed.

• Publicity—Ask for time during your first staff meetings at school to tell

other teachers about SSPP. You need everyone's support and enthusiasm to make the project a success. When choosing your students, make sure you select someone for the foundation who also works on the school paper. It will make it much easier to get good publicity.

• Selecting Class Members—We had the most success with a mix of freshmen, sophomores and juniors. Seniors have their minds on other things. Another advantage to younger students is that the following year they can develop projects with other students and come to the foundation for funding.

The foundation class should include students who represent different school clubs, teams and other activities. Each of these groups could do a community service project, with the foundation member acting as the youth leader. Because each project must have an adult adviser, it helps to work with existing groups.

• Scheduling – This can be taught as part of a government or civics class. Or because there is a lot of writing it could be taught one day a week as part of an English class. The time it takes will depend on the individual students. Choose students who can stay with the class for two semesters. In the first semester, your class will meet five days a week. For the second semester, we recommend at least two days a week (this class may work best at the end of the day.) Two consecutive days will be easier for the students to remember! Other afternoons during second semester will be spent doing community service. This can be a regular class or an after-school club.

• Stationery – One of your students may want to design foundation stationery on their computer. It adds another touch of ownership.

• T-Shirts—If your budget allows, provide them for all participants. Students love them. You can have a contest to design a logo for the foundation after it has been named and include this on the T-shirt along with a message such as "Youth Can Make A Difference."

We would like to hear your ideas! Please send your ideas to Jennifer Matteson at