Vision With Action: Developing Sensitivity to Societal Concerns in Gifted Youth

At the 2006 National Association of Gifted Children Conference, a panel presentation addressed the importance of providing gifted children with opportunities to take positive social action through service-learning; this article is a result of that discussion. The Future Problem Solving Program (among others) has a community problem-solving component to help instill the habits of responding to community needs in socially constructive ways. A service-learning project conducted by secondary gifted students is discussed. The highest level of service-learning is an effective curriculum for gifted students that exposes them to community problems and encourages them to solve those problems creatively. Through service-learning, gifted youth have opportunities to expand their global awareness, practice skills of positive action, and make real their vision of a better future.