The Martin Luther King, Jr. Achieving Greatness Through Service Initiative is a county-wide collaborative project, led by the Urban League, to promote positive youth development and learning during out-of-school hours. Participation is open to all middle and high school students in Dane County. The program, which is part of the Urban League's college readiness and career development efforts, consists of three main components:
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service: Held annually on the King Holiday, 500+ youth come together to observe the King Holiday as a day of service… "A Day On, Not A Day Off." This inspirational forum includes interactive educational workshops, speakers, and the creative expressions of their peers followed by community service projects. .
The 100 Hour Youth Volunteer Challenge: Encourages students to perform at least 100 hours of volunteer service. Students that complete the challenge receive the President’s Volunteers Service Award through the Urban League.
The MLK Youth Leadership Team: Middle and high school students learn leadership skills by planning the MLK Day of Service activities and promoting civic engagement among their peers throughout the year.
The program encourages young people to honor the life and work of Dr. King by serving in their communities—by making the holiday "a day ON, not a day off." During his lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge the common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he once said, "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve." By encouraging civic engagement in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students are provided with opportunities to:
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Make meaningful contributions to their community.
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Develop leadership and other important skills
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Build their college portfolio.
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Interact with peers from diverse racial, cultural, religious, and geographic backgrounds.