• Community Service at SWW

    Community Service is an on-going, student-planned experience with a local not-for-profit organization that is designed to help you develop responsibility and skills for living within a modern urban society.
     
     
    Examples of community service are: working with handicapped children at the Mary Cariola Children's Center or volunteering at the Open Door Mission by serving meals to the community or working in the clothing donation area.
     
     
    Our experience shows that community service will help you learn to give back to the community that is continually supporting you. It will also help to further develop your sense of community, independence and responsibility.
     
     
    Community Service is a yearly requirement at SWW and must be completed in cooperation with your advisor. Final approval of your community site placement rests with your advisor.
     
     
    Requirements and standards for Community Service credit include:
     
    1. Completion of the "Contract for Community Service"
     
    2. Involvement for a minimum of 75 hours each school year.
     
    3. A satisfactory evaluation by the Community Service supervisor for each quarter.
     
    4. On-going discussions about your Community Service experience during your conferences with your advisor.
     

    5. Community Service credit can not be earned ahead of time (i.e. doubling up). However, make-up credit may be earned in the summer or during the school year.

     
    Guidelines for Community Service:
     

    1. Community Service by definition means providing service to the community. This does not mean service to a business or organization whose purpose is to make a profit.

    2. This definition, combined with New York State Education Policy that forbids any public institution from aiding an organization in making profit, leads SWW to require that Community Service credit be given only for those service activities that are with a non-profit organization. If students wish to earn elective (but not Community Service) credit by working with a profit-making organization, they may do so by arranging a work-study experience with their advisor.

    3. Community Service with a religious organization is allowed, if and only if, the activity or program sponsored by the religious group:

    (A) makes a concerted effort to offer its non-religious based program to the entire neighborhood in which it is located or to the entire community, and

    (B) Makes no attempt to proselytize any individuals participating in the program,

    (C) Receives NYS or Federal funding, is co-sponsored by the City School District or meets criteria #1 & #2 above, but does not receive funding due to small size or unique service to the community.

     
    * This situation requires investigation and professional judgment by the advisor. Any religious activity that involves a religious ceremony, recruitment or indoctrination of individuals is not acceptable as SWW Community Service.
     
    Community Service as an extended class group, a combination of extended classes or as an entire school may take place in lieu of individual Community Service.
     
    Remember that three (3) credits (or its equivalent based on your number of years at SWW) in Community Service are required for your graduation at SWW.