CivicWeek

Service-Learning Field Studies for Outstanding High School Students

The safety of CivicWeek participants is paramount at all times. We take every reasonable step to ensure the well-being of our students and staff, including:

Hiring skilled staff members. CivicWeek staff are selected through a highly competitive process that weighs such factors as academic background, community service experience, and experience working with youth in a residential setting. The head staff person on each program, the site coordinator, is required to have a bachelor's degree, and is typically a high school teacher or other education or youth development professional. The two residential counselors on each program are typically older undergraduate students or recent college graduates. Our staff is an exceptional group of individuals brought together by their commitment to educating young people about civic engagement and social responsibility. In fact, alumni consistently report that one of the best aspects of the program is the quality of the group leaders.

Working with established and well-respected host agencies. We ask each host agency to work with us to provide safe volunteer and learning environments. We also ask each agency to provide an orientation for our groups, educating the students about potential risks that may exist in their communities and precautions they can take to minimize this risk to the greatest extent possible.

Providing proper supervision. While students are ultimately responsible for their own conduct, our trained staff teams provide clear guidelines and careful supervision. CivicWeek programs offer a high staff to student ratio, with three staff members for a group of no more than eighteen students.

Requiring a high standard for student conduct. CivicWeek programs are highly structured, and operate with a strict set of rules regarding appropriate boundaries and staff supervision. After students have been admitted to the program, students and parents receive a handbook with detailed information about program rules and policies. These rules help to ensure the safety of our students and staff, and all students who attend must be committed to respecting them. Students and parents are also required to sign a Student Honor Code Contract as part of the application process, so that all participants are aware of the program's expectations and their personal responsibility to contribute to a safe working and learning environment.

Attending to student health needs. CivicWeek staff keep health information about each participant on hand at all times. Local hospitals and clinics provide emergency health care services when needed. Families are responsible for all health costs incurred by their children during the program. CivicWeek's specific health policies and procedures are detailed in the Student Handbook, which students and parents receive upon acceptance to the program.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed CivicWeek on the NASSP National Advisory List of Student Contests and Activities for 2007-2008.

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