Endless Summer: Service To Others Projects (2 of 2)
Nothing about the year 2020 is normal. Spring Break turned into summer school in many dining rooms around the country. But wait-the the REAL summer break is here! Parents are calling it the Year of the Endless Summer! How can you help your student towards their future in this second round? Teenage entry jobs are scarce; internships, paid or unpaid, have vanished, and the health impacts of re-gathering remain an on-going concern.
In last week’s blog, I shared author Jeannie Burlowski’s bold position. She states many scholarships will go to those who develop and lead a Service To Others project. Ideally, your student started their long-term STO project in Middle or Junior high school. Every year thereafter, they built it out with more volunteers and a broader reach. In their Senior year, they will write convincingly about the efforts and results of their STO on their college applications. It will set them apart. Some colleges and universities awards range from $1,000-$10,000 per year for demonstrated commitment to serving others!
And, if your student hasn’t done this yet? Take action now. Even if you can only squeeze in 2 or 3 years, she or he will STILL stand out in the scholarship competition. What if this is the summer between the Junior and Senior years in high school and there’s no project? Go ahead and do one anyway. You’ll understand why in a few moments.
As indicated last week, you don’t have to design this project from scratch. If you need ideas, google “Eagle Scout Service Projects". If you need a planning booklet, I recommend the Girl Scout Gold Award Handbook. Both are easily downloaded from the internet. Modeling their project after the Gold Award process increases the chances of success. For a breakdown of doing a project, check out last weeks’ blog, https://www.lightwayenterprises.com/blog.
Why take this on? There’s an important statistic that will seal the deal for you. Both the Gold Award and the Eagle Scout Award are only earned by 6% of all members of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. If every student was either a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout, you’d be in the top 6%. However, since that’s not so, completing a well designed STO puts your student in an even smaller group of achievers. That’s noteworthy. That makes your future college application stand out among the thousands submitted.
If this is the summer between your Junior and Senior years of high school, do the project anyway. Having a one-time service project is still better than a blank space on that part of the college application.
This is a great non-academic way to possibly earn scholarships. There are plenty of scholarships awarded for making an original “contribution” to society. There are scholarships for students who demonstrate “leadership.” We tend to forget the broader definition of scholarship and focus just on academics. Not every student is academically brilliant. However, regular students can do the work to impact their community. I make no guarantees your student will win money. I WILL say they improve their chances dramatically by developing and executing a top-notch Service To Others project.
Note to parents: this will NOT take over their summer. The Girl Scout Gold Award requires a minimum of 80 hours. Let’s say your students’ project takes 100 hours. That translates to an average of 10-12 hours a week. That leaves room for many other activities.
Second Note to parents: a word to the wise. You must walk a fine line here. If your student is passionate and already involved in serving others, you can build on that. Share this and last weeks’ blog. Offer to be their consultant. Model yourself after the Shark Tank Investors. Shark Tank Investors coach and guide, but the business owners do the work. Your role is to be their coach, guide and sounding board, Your student does the work. Your help consists of resource development and process planning. They must own the process, problems, and results.
If your student hasn’t been involved in community service projects or school service clubs, this may feel like trying to climb Mount Everest on their first hike. Consider a major re-think here. Rather than aim this high, look for ready-made service opportunities nearby. Insist your student become a regular and faithful volunteer with a service group this summer. It could spark an interest AND help fill in the service to others section of their future applications.
I know you’ve just been through the wringer, but don’t let your student fritter away this summer. Help them invest in their future. It MAY earn them some scholarship money. It may not. But it WILL open their eyes to needs and help them become a better human being. They can learn project leading skills that will help them in school and work. If your student completes a Service To Others project, the Endless Summer will be a success!
Until next time,
All my best,
Bonnie Burkett
