Hands4Hope Education Program

Hands4Hope’s Education Program empowers middle school through college youth through service-learning, strength-based leadership, and hands-on community engagement. On-campus clubs take place at middle and high schools in El Dorado County, California in El Dorado Hills, Rescue, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Placerville, and South Lake Tahoe.

Through the Hands4Hope Education Program, youth can:

participate in an on-campus Hands4Hope Club, and
join an After-School Committee.

Hands4Hope's Education Program Goals

To create awareness of community needs
Inspire compassion that leads toward meaningful action
Offer opportunities for leadership and personal development
Build life skills such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and budget management.

Youth can choose their own type of involvement based on their interests and availability.

On-campus clubs are typically available to students only at the school where the club takes place
After-school committees are open to any youth, regardless of where they attend school (homeschool students welcome too!)
Mainly targeted at youth in 6th to 12th grades

Core Components of Hands4Hope's Education Program

Service-Learning

Hands4Hope’s Education Program uses service-learning, an approach to teaching and learning that couples academic and civic knowledge together to address community needs in real time.

Hands-On, Youth-Led Approach

Participants investigate the needs in the local community, then design, implement and evaluate their service-learning projects while inspiring others to get involved in community issues.

Strengths-Based Leadership

Through self-awareness and empowerment, youth learn how to use their voice to affect change in their own community and lead their peers to do the same. Strength-based leadership builds a strong foundation for young leaders to accept and appreciate the unique and diverse makeup of others and their teams, while building critical skills in self-awareness, communication and collaboration. Hands4Hope uses the Strength-based Leadership Method, developed by Gallup.

Youth are Decision-Making Partners

Hands4Hope recognizes youth as decision-making partners and teaches them how to be civic-minded and socially responsible. Hands4Hope offers multi-level leadership opportunities to all youth participants starting in middle school and extending through to college. Positive Youth Development and Leadership Development methodologies are embedded in all Hands4Hope Service Learning and Outreach programs.

About On-Campus Clubs

Commitment

School Year, August to May; plus summer leadership training for elected leaders

The Hands4Hope Club Experience

Hands4Hope’s on-campus clubs provide opportunities for students to Explore needs in their communities, Act on them by creating, developing and implementing service-learning projects, while offering a variety of opportunities to Lead.

The goals for this program include: creating awareness of community needs and inspiring compassion that leads toward meaningful action; offering opportunities for leadership and personal development.

Youth in the Hands4Hope Club program are immediately given the responsibility and power to make decisions on everything from Club policies to Club focus areas, which is what makes Hands4Hope Clubs different from other clubs and organizations.

About After-School Committees

Commitment

Varies by committee, ranging from a few months to meeting periodically throughout the program year (June through May)

The Hands4Hope Committee Experience

Hands4Hope’s after-school project committees incorporate our mission by providing opportunities for youth regardless of where they attend school, ranging from 6th grade to 12th grade, to Explore needs in their communities, Act on them by creating, developing and implementing service-learning projects, while offering a variety of opportunities to Lead. The goals for this program include: creating awareness of community needs and inspiring compassion that leads toward meaningful action; offering opportunities for leadership and personal development; and building life skills such as communication, cooperation, problem-solving, and budget management.

Participants Will Have the Opportunity to:

Participate in a real-life leadership experience, where decisions made will have a real impact
Gain skills in managing a budget
Understand better how a nonprofit operates
Gain decision-making skills and learn how to work as part of a diverse group
Gain a better understanding for the struggles some in our community face
Appreciate the value of service to the community
Make new friends from different schools and backgrounds