Want to ensure that your school—elementary through university—gives back to the town? Learn some ways schools can better support the community here.
It’s important for the community to support the schools within it. But it’s also imperative that the schools support the community. Whether it’s through volunteering events, donating money from football games to local non-profits, or something else, these supportive actions make for a stronger community. If you want to ensure that there’s a successful give-and-take between schools and town, take a look at these ways schools can better support the community.
Plan Some Charity Drives
Whether elementary or university, charity drives are an excellent way for schools to support the community. There are plenty of different charity drive ideas to choose from, such as the typical food drive or “activity” for a cause. Whatever your school decides, make sure to advertise it as much as possible within the school, virtually, and around the town.
When you go the activity route, you have an even better chance of including people around town and making an impact on the community.
Connect Curriculum To Real-World Experiences
This starts to happen a little bit more toward the end of high school and especially in college, but these real-world experiences are something kids need to become familiar with from the start. Much of what we learn as children and adults happens outside of the classroom. Figuring out how to connect the core curriculum to the outside, real-world experiences benefits both the students and the community.
Think about the local businesses. If you teach the kids about the neighborhood deli—its products, supply chain, sustainability practices, etc.—they’ll be able to teach them about these things in a way they can relate to. Not only will this make the lessons more concrete for the kids, but the kids will likely be begging their parents to take them to the deli so they can see what it’s all about. Teach kids the diverse world within the community, and the town will benefit.
Organize School/Business Partnerships
In that same sense, try to organize and set up some school and business partnerships. Maybe you have the local IT company come in and teach some computer classes. One of the bakeries can teach the home economics class. See how these partnerships can strengthen education within the students and the businesses themselves. Remember—it’s a partnership. You can’t just expect them to come in and teach if you don’t provide something in return.
Require Community Volunteering
Another wonderful way schools can better support the community is through community volunteering. Require students to volunteer for at least two hours per semester. It’s not much, so it’s feasible for most students. If they’re in a club, sport, or other activity, require that they submit volunteer hours by the end of the season. Want to support the community? Send the kids to rake leaves in the fall, shovel snow in the winter, and help out at the soup kitchen. There are so many ways to help; you just have to take the time to do it.
