Student Community Involvement Program (SCIP) evaluation
The Centre for Volunteering is presently engaged in an evaluation of its Student Community Involvement Program (SCIP).
Surveys and interview guides are presently being developed and data collection for this project will begin in September 2009. Students, teachers and representatives of organisations will be invited to share their comments, views and stories relating to student volunteering. We greatly appreciate your input and look forward to discussing your experiences.
SCIP actively promotes school student participation in their local communities through volunteering. SCIP aims to educate and inspire young people through connecting not-for-profit organisations with schools and students.
Why evaluate student volunteering?
The Centre is looking to gain a better understanding of the student volunteering experience from the perspective of the student, the school and the not-for-profit sector. This evaluation will inform the direction and development of the current SCIP at The Centre.
There has been an increased push from government and education institutions to encourage students to volunteer. This has prompted The Centre to evaluate student volunteering to develop best practice guidelines and inform the impact and success of the current SCIP.
The goals of this evaluation
The evaluation seeks to:
- identify the impact of SCIP services and activities
- better understand the context in which SCIP stakeholders are operating
- better understand the student volunteering experience
- better understand how The Centre, schools and organisations can work together to maximise outcomes for student volunteering
The evaluation findings
The findings of this project will be used to:
- refine SCIP activities and processes to better meet the needs of an increased number of stakeholders, including in regional areas
- develop new resources to better support SCIP stakeholders
- develop The Centre's capacity to support organisations and schools in the evaluation of their student volunteering programs
- inform a youth volunteering research strategy at The Centre
- disseminate best practice case studies on student volunteering in the not-for-profit sector
Youth volunteer involvement in the evaluation
In keeping with The Centre's commitment to youth volunteering, this project will include a substantial youth participation component.
The Centre will look to involve young people in the design and implementation of the evaluation.
Possible roles will include the following:
- youth advisory group
- design questionnaires
- run focus groups
- collate data
- design a youth-friendly evaluation report
Please note that for the purpose of this evaluation The Centre defines the term 'student volunteering' as any form of unpaid work done by school students for a not-for-profit organisation. This can include volunteering, community service, service learning or work experience.
If you would like further information about this project, please contact Jacinthe Brosseau, Community Project Manager, on 02 9261 3600 or email jbrosseau@volunteering.com.au