Serve and Learn Student Association (SALSA)
What is SALSA?
In 1999, the Helpline Center developed SALSA, the Serve & Learn Student Association, as a way to connect youth with opportunities to serve. It also allows teens to create and carry out meaningful service projects that meet community needs and inspire youth to get involved.
Last year, SALSA connected with 1,500 students from the Sioux Empire. Youth join SALSA to meet new friends, explore careers through volunteerism, gain leadership experience through the Youth Action Council, earn hours for scholarship applications and make a difference in their community.
View the SALSA Photo Gallery
Click here to see SALSA in action!
Submit Hours
A wonderful resource for high school students is the SALSA volunteer hours database. Keep a record of all your volunteer service in one location so providing that information for job, college or scholarship applications becomes a snap. Forms are available at every SALSA meeting or click Submit hours online! If you ever want to see your database, simply email the SALSA coordinator at salsa@helplinecenter.org.
Join SALSA
Join today! Click here for a SALSA Application.
Membership is free for all high school students who are interested in volunteer service.
School Meetings
YAC and Helpline Center staff facilitate monthly meetings at the Sioux Falls and Brandon public high schools. Each meeting features a hands-on service project, a speaker from a local non-profit organization and information on upcoming volunteer opportunities.
Click here to see the 2011-2012 SALSA meeting schedule!
SALSA-Wide Event/Service Projects
Each month, SALSA provides at least one group volunteer opportunity, called a SALSA-wide event. Projects are planned by youth for youth. This might include serving a meal at a local feeding ministry, helping at an animal shelter, painting a mural at a local daycare or raking yards for the elderly. All projects are service-learning focused. Youth not only volunteer, they also participate in learning and reflective exercises at the end of each project. This helps teens to think about the impact they had through their service, and how they might take action in the future.
2010-2011 SALSA-Wide Events:
Service Learning
SALSA is not just a volunteer club, it is based on the principal of service learning. Service learning presents students with an issue, engages them in doing something about it and then offers a chance to reflect on the impact of the project. SALSA offers students this opportunity during SALSA-wide events, and during individual service projects by completing the Reflection Form. Please fill out and either mail to the Helpline Center or bring to your monthly meeting. You may also submit the form online.
Student Led
The Youth Action Council (YAC) leads SALSA. This group of 20 youth identify, plan and help run all SALSA events. Helpline Center staff facilitate all activities, but no programmatic decisions are made concerning SALSA without the consultation of YAC.
Click here for more information and a YAC Application.
Impacting the World
SALSA started in 1999. Since that time, SALSA members have logged over 57,000 service hours in the Sioux Empire through individual and SALSA activities. There are currently over 1,500 SALSA participants. Click here to see how SALSA youth make a difference!
SALSA Resources/Forms
Did you know it’s easy and free to join SALSA? As a SALSA member, you will receive weekly updates about volunteer opportunities. And, SALSA will help you track all of your volunteer hours, providing you with reports when you apply to colleges and for scholarships.
SALSA Application
Volunteer Hours Form or Submit hours online!
Reflection Form or Submit Reflections online!
Scholarship Information
Contact Info
SALSA Coordinator Jen Abels
Dial 211 or 274-1409
salsa@helplinecenter.org
Click here to see over 350 ways to volunteer in the Sioux Empire!
Click here to learn how SALSA is supported by the Sioux Falls Downtown Lions Club.
Check out these sources for more information on youth volunteerism: http://www.energizeinc.com/art/subj/youth.html
http://teenadvice.about.com/cs/volunteering/
http://www.volunteermatch.org/
http://www.yvca.org/
http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/
http://www.networkforgood.youthnoise.com/
http://www.ysa.org/
http://www.americorps.org/
http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/
http://www.nationalservice.org/
http://www.pointsoflight.org/