Editors: The conference is open only to registered participants, but reporters and photographers are welcome to attend.
Students, teachers and leaders, including astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn Jr., will gather in Denver for the 12th annual National Service Learning Conference being hosted by the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Colorado Department of Education.
The conference, which is put on by the National Youth Leadership Council and requires registration and a fee, will be held April 4-7 at the Adam's Mark Hotel, 1550 Court Place in downtown Denver. It will feature more than 300 workshops exploring the conference theme of "Partnerships for a Civil Society."
Glenn will speak at the conference on Thursday, April 5, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Nationally known teacher, activist and author Jonathon Kozol will speak at the conference on Friday, April 6, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Service learning integrates a student's academic curriculum with organized service activities that meet actual community needs. It is a philosophy that young people are a community's greatest resource, and it is a teaching and learning method that values active learning and experimentation.
Colorado has a long and distinguished history of volunteerism, community service and service learning, according to Richard Kraft, co-chair of the conference and director of CU-Boulder's Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program. CU-Boulder was home to the first student volunteer center, the Clearing House, which was formed in the early 1960s.
One of the site visits will take conference attendees to CU-Boulder for a campus visit on Thursday, April 5, from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Conference participants will look into ways that schools, colleges and community-based organizations form partnerships to meet both the learning goals of students and the needs of the community.
The conference will showcase K-12 and higher education service learning programs and will include lectures and site visits where participants travel to locations such as universities, service learning schools, model service learning projects and community-based organizations in Colorado.
"This conference provides an opportunity for all levels of service learners to come together," Kraft said.
A primary goal of the conference is moving away from "show and tell" presentations and incorporating a lot more participation in activities, according to Kelli Trotsky, program manager for the 2001 conference.
"The conference has a strong emphasis on youth involvement," Trotsky said. "There will be several youth-designed workshops at the conference, as well as a workshop where community elders will share their service learning experiences," she said.
Conference participants range in age from 10 to 93 and will visit from countries all over the world, bringing many different service learning experiences to the table.
"Service learning is not just service and it is not just learning," Kraft said. "It's an attempt to tie them together."
Kraft is a professor in CU-Boulder's School of Education. As director of the Chancellor's Leadership Residential Academic Program he helps students develop into community and professional leaders for the future. Students from all schools and colleges at CU-Boulder can participate in the leadership program.
For more information about the conference call 1-888-547-3801 or visit the Web site at .