If it wasn’t a big enough benefit to grow up alongside the Magic Kingdom, nonprofits in your area are also looking for Orange County high school students. As part of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary celebrations, Orange County high school students have the opportunity to participate in community outreach projects with local nonprofits.
Show your character
The “Show Your Character” contest encourages local nonprofits to design projects that engage high school students. Beginning in 2004 through 2006, Orange County nonprofits submit project proposals designed to help local teens give back to their community. If selected, nonprofits are matched with Orange County high school students and given the resources they needed to complete a community service project in their neighborhoods.
Projects for competition must meet California Curriculum Standards for Service Learning Projects. In this way, students earn academic credit while learning valuable skills from non-profit groups.
A Service Learning Project must meet four basic objectives (provided by the Orange County Volunteer Center, http://www.volunteercenter.org):
Meet a real community need
In partnership with your organization, students must understand how the needs of the community they serve are identified. After developing an understanding of these needs, students will actively participate in a service-learning project designed to meet those needs effectively.
Gain an understanding of the connection between school and community
Students should develop an understanding of the relationship between school and community and the value of school-community partnerships. This will be accomplished through direct interactions with your organization, staff, and / or clients to develop and implement meaningful service activities that meet the needs of both students and the community you serve.
Develop a sense of civic responsibility
Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of civic responsibility through their participation in this service-learning activity. The project must satisfy a real community need and improve the quality of life in the community.
Strengthen your understanding of core values and character traits
Reliability – Respect – Equity – Caring – Citizenship
Benefits for students
In addition to school credit, participation in the competition also benefits students and their schools in other key ways. Students will benefit from increased awareness of non-profit organizations operating in the community. By working with a non-profit organization, the student will learn how non-profit groups help at-risk community members and see for themselves how they and others can contribute to building their community in a positive way in the future. Participation also qualifies the student to apply for a Disneyland Resort Legacy Scholarship. The Disneyland Resort Scholarship Program, called Making Magic Through Community Service, plans to award $ 50,000 in scholarships, with a minimum scholarship of $ 5,000 each.
Benefits for teachers and schools
Teachers and schools can also participate. By helping their students participate in competition, teachers and schools meet the standards in character education and have the opportunity to develop character and civic responsibility in their students. Teachers and students will be advised by a Disney VoluntEAR project leader who is knowledgeable about their partner nonprofit organization, as well as the character education curriculum educational standards that must be met. Additionally, teachers and schools will have expert assistance from the Orange County Volunteer Center, the California State Regional Leader for Service Learning. There are also financial benefits for teachers, such as winning a $ 1,000 Golden Performance Award to further enhance the learning environment for their students.
Disney’s community outreach programs for Orange County high school students combine learning with public service and specifically address the character education curriculum standards for the state of California. Students in the area have had the opportunity to learn from Walt Disney that “the best moments in life are not about selfish accomplishments, but about the things we do for people in need.”