Community Service Versus Service-Learning: Which Is Best for 4-H?

In 1999, the National 4-H Council (2000) reported that some 271,146 4-H members participated in service activities to their communities. These activities were categorized as volunteerism, community service, and service-learning--three distinctly different activities. To examine which activity is best in teaching leadership life skills, a randomized post-test only control group experiment utilizing a control group and two treatment groups was conducted to determine the effects of service-learning. This article distinguishes service service-learning from the other two activities, presents the results of the study, and discusses the implications of service learning for Extension.