By Ariella Adjangba-Baker, NYLC Youth Advisory Council Member
Student service-learning connects classroom learning with real-world experiences; it connects flashcards with civic engagement and memorization with personal development. By interacting with real-world issues, us students have the opportunity to cultivate passion for social change and deepen our understanding of things not covered by the curriculum.
In my community, we have a diverse student body, consisting of different backgrounds, incomes, religions, and beliefs. But we all have one thing in common: the belief that there’s room for improvement. Some students are concerned with the high levels of carbon emissions and little care for recycling, while others are worried about the families that can’t afford basic needs. No matter the issues one has in mind, each issue is valid and deserves to be addressed. So, I gathered some of my peers to create an environment that facilitates change for every issue my peers care about. We decided that each month, we would plan a fundraiser, and all funds would go to a cause that is different from the last.
After registering Fundraisers for Charities as a school club, we met to discuss how we would move forward. Although the focus was to raise money for charitable causes, we knew the club was meant for much more: it was a space where students could grow as leaders, become changemakers, and explore different causes. We decided that, as a student-led group, members were to take initiative, choose a different cause each month, organize a respective fundraiser, and reflect on how we can grow. We set two goals: to not repeat a cause and to improve each month.
Each month, every member brought their own interests and concerns. This forced us to stay updated on current issues, be open-minded to each others’ concerns, and understand the effects of matters that may not substantially concern us as individuals. From planning to promotion to execution, we developed skills in leadership, organization, and problem-solving. In doing so, we learned things not often discussed or utilized in our classes.
Our first fundraiser was a bake sale at a football game. We put out a sign-up sheet for members to bake and price their own goods, then have those who weren’t comfortable baking sell them; we managed to raise $140 for our local food pantry. After the fundraiser concluded, we reflected on the event. We all agreed we weren’t happy with our profits, and decided much of the issues lay in our lack of promotion. As a result, many kids did not have the funds to buy a treat.
For our next fundraiser—a Halloween Bake Sale—we prioritized promotion, made it a three day-long event, and nearly tripled our profit for the Frederick County SHIP. By aiming to constantly improve, we ended the year with a raffle at a lacrosse game for an ocean conservatory program. It was our highest-grossing fundraiser yet!
As fund-raisers, we learned the importance of event promotion, opportunity, representing the interests of diverse customers, and highlighting our cause. As changemakers, we learned that all causes are important and deserve our efforts to make a difference. Most importantly, as service-learners, we learned that it’s important to take initiative, especially outside of the classroom.
While a school club may make a small impact on a global scale, it makes a large impact on its members and local community. Fundraisers for Charities showed everyone involved that when students take the lead, growth happens naturally, real impact is possible, and most importantly, meaningful lessons can be learned.
