By Julie Rogers Bascom, Director of Learning and Leadership

As MLK Day approaches, we often hear the reminder, “A day on, not just a day off.” While holidays can be a chance to relax, unwind, and take a break from the daily grind, MLK Day transcends the ordinary. MLK Day is a national day of service, an opportunity to give back to the community.

The ideal is to honor Dr. King’s legacy by actively contributing to the betterment of our communities. As educators and guides for young people, our responsibility lies in instilling a commitment to lifelong service. Creating the drive for lifelong service can begin with an experience that isn’t focused on how many hours you spend giving back, or on the size of your collection – it can be about an experience that is transformational. This process begins when we work WITH community in collaboration rather than trying to FIX a community with our well intended projects.

How do we infuse service-learning into MLK Day?

Service-learning is not a project, rather it is a process that aligns to positive youth outcomes like understanding a complex social issue, using critical thinking strategies to examine root causes of an issue, or strengthening communication skills. Infusing service-learning into this day can have a profound impact on a young person and their community’s transformation.

Here are some examples of time-limited experiences that could reshape a young person’s world view, and questions to consider as you aim to extend your day of service project. Using the action as a catalyst for young people to deepen their understanding and explore root causes, your students will be prompted to use critical thinking and more profound problem-solving skills, leading to deeper transformations for both your young people and the communities they serve.

• Environmental Action: Students work with local organizations to clean up parks and plant trees.
  • Before/After: Classroom discussions or assignments could focus on environmental issues, ecology, and the impact of individual and community actions on the environment.
  • Questions to consider: Where are spaces in your community that have environmental issues or concerns? What are systems that need to be changed to address the cause and not just the symptom? How could students educate the community about sustainable practices?
• Technology Literacy Project: Participants teach technology skills to senior citizens or underserved populations.
  • Before/After: The academic pre-reflection or post-reflection could focus on digital literacy, the impact of technology on society, and strategies for bridging the digital divide.
  • Questions to consider: How does lack of technology skills impact certain generations or demographics? What are barriers to equitable access? Why do we want equitable access to technology?
• Food Insecurity Effort: Young people assist with sorting, labeling, weighing and packing various food items to meet immediate needs and help feed neighbors in need at a food pantry.
  • Before/After: Read a children’s book about food insecurity, like Maddi’s Fridge, as a starting point to a discussion about food insecurity. Examine local hunger statistics and what your state does to support hungry neighbors. Compare and contrast our country’s food insecurity levels with other nations. Look at images from “Hungry Planet” to understand more about what the world eats.
  • Questions to consider are: What does “3 meals a day” look like? What does it cost? How can someone making minimum wage afford 3 meals a day for their family?

So, what’s your goal with a day on? Consider having it go beyond just being physically present. A day on means actively seeking ways to contribute to the community, fostering a sense of unity and understanding. This goal is not accurately measured by the number of hours you log, rather it’s about being mentally and emotionally invested in the well-being of those around you.

In the spirit of MLK Day, we urge you to redefine your approach to service and service-learning. It’s not just about completing a checklist or fulfilling a requirement, but rather actively seeking ways to make a lasting difference. A day off can become a day on when we channel our energy and efforts towards creating positive change in our communities! As we reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, let’s commit to the transformative power of service-learning as it guides us towards a better, more compassionate world.