Community Service
The service aspect of the just keep livin program encourages students to give back in their own communities. Two times each semester, they are empowered with the opportunity to attend service events where they can have a direct, local impact and make giving back a real part of their lives. When you perform acts of kindness, you raise your serotonin levels and improve your immune function, so the act of giving back is physically good for you. Contributing to the well-being of others is empowering and increases feelings of dignity and self-worth.
In the JKL program, 94% of students increase their participation in community service events. Each year, more than 7200 hours of community service are performed across the country.
Some service activities include:
- Beautifying schools in conjunction with City Year
- Cleaning up the local beaches with Heal The Bay
- Putting together care packages for the troops with Operation Gratitude
- Packing holiday food boxes with regional Food Banks
“jkl has had a positive impact on our school environment, as our kids have somewhere positive that they can be after school. Many of our students are not in a hurry to go home, as there is often not much positive to go home to. For 4 hours a week, they can at least participate in positive activities and have fun in a safe environment with a family atmosphere. Many of our students will never travel outside of their immediate neighborhood in which they live. Our field trips and community service activities have brought great pleasure to our jkl kids, as they get to experience new events and places that they would not otherwise get to do. I always have kids stopping me in the hallway asking, ‘what are we doing in jkl this week?’ or ‘where are we going this month?’”
Mark Finlay
Eastern Hills High School, Fort Worth, TX
