Community Agency Information Community sites which allow Miami-Dade College students to come in and work at your site for their service-learning experience truly impact the lives of the students, the site's population, and the entire community. What is service learning and how does it work?  How do I become an approved Placement Site? As a Community Agency contact, what do I have to do? Can I be assured of having a certain number of service-learning students each semester?

Faculty members incorporate service-learning into their class curriculum, either as an option or as a requirement. Faculty members determine a set number of service hours to be completed. Reflection activities and assignments accompany the service experience. Miami-Dade College service-learning students choose an appropriate service location from the Center for Community Involvement's Placement Lists. Miami-Dade College service-learning students then contact their chosen agency, set up a meeting/interview with the agency contact, and complete the "Placement Confirmation Agreement" with the agency contact (provided by the student in the Student Handbook on page 8).
Agency supervisor signs the student Timesheet after each shift worked at the agency site (provided by the student in the Student Handbook on page 9). Agency supervisor completes the Agency Evaluation at the end of the service assignment (provided by the student in the Student Handbook on page 10).

 It is a simple process - review Service-Learning Agency Handbook for all of the details!

It is simple! Just follow these steps:

• Contact the Center for Community Involvement to verify eligibility requirements
  
• Attend the Center for Community Involvement New Agency Workshop (held each semester).
  
• Complete an agency description (examples can be found in any of the Placement Lists) that details the agency's mission, outlines the service opportunities, lists the contact information, hours of operation, and any additional pertinent agency-specific information. This description will be incorporated into the Center for Community Involvement's Placement Lists (complete listing of all service sites for Miami-Dade College service-learning students). 
  Read and understand the Service-Learning "Agency Handbook".
  
• Schedule a site visit with the Center for Community Involvement.
  Complete the "Letter Of Understanding" (found in the Service-Learning "Agency Handbook") and return this form to the Center for Community Involvement.
  
• Receive and return calls in a timely manner from interested Miami-Dade College service-learning students.
  Interview service-learning student candidates to clarify responsibilities, expectations, and plan the student's service-learning assignment at your agency.
  
• Complete the "Site Placement Confirmation Form" (provided by the student) with the student.
  
• Provide the service-learning student with an appropriate orientation, all necessary training, and on-going supervision and support throughout their experience.
  
• Report concerns/issues to the Center for Community Involvement (see contact info).
  
• Complete the "Agency Evaluation," a brief end-of-the-semester evaluation of the service experience for the service-learning student (provided by the student).

No. Students are given the opportunity to determine their own service site based on their own learning goals, interests, scheduling concerns, etc.   Agencies can increase the likelihood of attracting students by  participating in Miami-Dade College and Center for Community Involvement events, such as the Volunteer Fairs held at each campus.