History of Service-Learning on Colleges and University Campuses
Community service and civic engagement have a long history on
American campuses beginning in the 19th century and finding
revitalization in the 1960s, 1980s, and today. For example,
community service activities in Greek-letter organizations and
campus faith-based groups have had an enduring presence on
campuses. The civil rights movement of the 1960s, the formation
of the Peace Corps in 1961, and Volunteers in Service to America
(VISTA) in 1965 brought a new passionate energy to activist
education by engaging young people and giving them real
opportunities to make a difference in the world. It was during
this time period that the early pioneers of the service-learning
movement began to emerge and attempted to combine service with
learning in a direct and powerful way. In 1969, these pioneers
and others concerned with higher education and community service
met in Atlanta to discuss the pros and cons of service-learning
and the importance of implem