Community service learning is more than just "volunteer work", it is the opportunity to learn an academic discipline outside of the classroom and in the context of lending a necessary service to the community. In the case of Spanish 399, your community service project will help you to improve your Spanish and learn about Hispanic/Latino cultures as well as learn about working in the community.

It is your responsibility to identify and secure a community service project for this course. This allows you to find a project that suits your needs, interests, and schedule. As is described in other parts of our course web site, you must find a project that allows you to work at least 40 hours and where you will be using Spanish at least 90% of the time you work. There are two main ways of identifying a potential service project work site. They are:

It is recommended that you find work with an already approved community service agency, since these sites have already filed the necessary administrative paperwork with the University so that CSUSM students may work there. Should you decide to do work with an agency not already approved by CSUSM OCSL, you must first submit the necessary paperwork for the agency’s approval to the OCSL. Approval typically takes 10 – 14 days, and your work there cannot begin until after the agency has been approved.

Recommendations Following are some sites that I can recommend, either because past Spanish 399 students have had positive experiences there, or because I know that there is an immediate need for service learning students at that site.

CSUSM Language Learning Center (LLC)

CSUSM Library Barahona Center for the Study of Books In Spanish

North County Educational Opportunity Center/ Palomar College