By Richard Fulton, Assistant Director, Service-Learning Colorado

WINTER 1997 (archived information - please note the date of publication)

Colorado has implemented a collaborative team-approach system for service-learning that is proving to be successful and efficient. The state is divided into eight geographic regions, with each region assigned a Service Learning Regional Action Team which provides support for that region. This team concept was first introduced at the Second Annual Colorado Service Learning Conference in October, 1993, and is an integral part of the service-learning and community-involvement strategies of the three state collaborative partners -- the Colorado Department of Education, Colorado Campus Compact (representing higher education), and the Governor's Commission on National and Community Service.

Structure
The Service Learning Regional Action Team is structured so that issues unique to each region are identified and addressed, and local capabilities are utilized. Most teams in each region include members from Learn and Serve K-12 schools, colleges and universities, AmeriCorps programs, VISTA, and community-based organizations. The state agencies do not dictate which organization takes the lead; in fact, several teams have college faculty, K-12 teachers, and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) members serving as regional coordinators. These collaborations are vital to the structure of the regional teams. The program encourages continued collaborative efforts and dissemination of any information which demonstrates the benefits of collaborative service-learning programs at a regional, state, and national level.

Collaborative Activities

Regional Service Projects
Each action team sponsors various service projects that serve to unify the team. For example, the Western Slope Action Team plans to utilize VISTA and RSVP members, Learn and Serve K-12 students, and other volunteers in a collaborative effort to visit and write to homebound senior citizens. The Mountain Regional Action Team collaborated to help construct a pedestrian walkway to provide an additional tourist attraction in a downtown business area, utilizing Learn and Serve K-12 youth and AmeriCorps members.

Coordination of Services
In an effort to coordinate service, the regional action teams provide information on events and organizational responsibilities to their program partners. The teams produce newsletters and Internet home pages, and sponsor regional meetings which focus on the exchange of information and coordination of civic and service-learning events. These newsletters and meetings provide the information needed to Learn and Serve K-12, school teachers, college faculty, AmeriCorps and VISTA directors, and volunteer organizations so that duplication of service is reduced and cooperation on common community issues and projects is enhanced.

Workshops and Conferences
The action teams collaborate to provide workshops and regional conferences that emphasize the practical aspects of developing and expanding service-learning projects and partnerships across the various streams of service, including Learn and Serve K-12, AmeriCorps, and VISTA. These professional development activities facilitate interaction and collaboration, and provide the programs with a means of contacting others in their region, since community agencies and higher education programs also participate.

Collaborative Models
Educators and public sector professionals are utilizing collaborative models to combine shrinking resources to maximize professional development, provide technical assistance, and disseminate particular initiatives. Although collaborative work can be difficult, these regional experiences serve as a successful model of cross-stream partnerships within the programs of the Corporation for National Service.