The mission of the Notre Dame Senior Service Learning Project (SSLP) is to combine a student’s interests and talents into a project that will have an impact on her community. Through this process, students gain experience in social activism and grow in leadership skills.
It is conducted under the auspices of the Notre Dame Community Service Learning Program, an integrated program that combines skill-building, social justice and personal responsibility. Students walk away at the completion of the project with a better understanding of both local and global issues, the need for individual involvement, and the processes for implementing solutions.
The SSLP students develop a project portfolio describing their work. At the culmination of the project, they share their project design and portfolio in a public venue that requires students to utilize their oral and written presentation skills. The result is a real-world event that demonstrates the student’s ability to conduct research, manage a project from start to finish and communicate the significance of their project to the greater community. The wall-to-wall presentation of student projects in St. Julie Billiart Hall is a profound statement about the power of individual involvement.
Adults from the Notre Dame community and the greater downtown community engage the students in dialogue about their work and in reflection about the value of their contribution.