The action phase of service-learning is its heart. This is when participants serve to meet human and community needs out of their shared values and commitments across their religious differences. It provides the experiential foundation for the personal growth and learning that will be the focus of reflection, demonstration, and celebration.

The action phase varies considerably, depending on the type of project you’re doing, where you do it, the age of the people involved, the number of participants involved, experience levels, and many other factors. Some of the tasks that may be important are described here.

Set Expectations for Those Serving

These might include:

• Be courteous, friendly, and respectful to others serving with you or receiving the service.
• Get to know the people whom you are serving.
• Work cooperatively as part of your team to reach the goals.
• Become familiar with emergency procedures at the work site.
• Tell project leaders or staff when you cannot meet your timeline.
• Do not use language or dress in ways that might be offensive to people in the community.
• Use your time (and other people’s time) well. If you don’t feel like you’re contributing, tell a program leader.
• Keep in mind your learning goals. Try to apply your knowledge to the situation.
• Ask questions about things that you don’t understand or that make you curious.
• Be honest in raising issues and concerns that may arise.
• Ask for help in learning new skills  you need.
• Have fun!

Ensuring a Positive Service Experience

• Nurture a supportive experience for participants. Take time to introduce yourselves to each other, including time to talk with community residents in the areas where you're serving.
• Promote interpersonal, cultural, and interfaith dialogue. Conversations across differences provide opoprtunities to deepen understand and break down stereotypes.
• Provide supervision and ensure safety. Participants sometimes are so caught up in a project that they don’t realize how much they are stretching their bodies, minds, skills, or emotions. In addition, agencies that work primarily with adult volunteers may not know when their expectations exceed what youth participants can do safely and effectively.

Ask Young People to Document their Experiences

Giving time and attention to documentation and reflection in the midst of action will help ensure that the experience has a lasting impact. There are many ways to promote reflection during the action stage:

• Ask youth questions about what they are doing and why, what they are learning, and what they are confused or concerned about.
• Encourage participants to write down any key words or phrases that describe their experience, their feelings, or what they are learning.
• Assign participants to be the official photographers and/or videographers.
• Encourage youth to keep a journal while they are serving.
• Arrange for participants to write about their day while they are at the site. The closer in time to the event, the more likely they will be able to remember it.
• If you are traveling to and from the site together, use the time to discuss the day’s events and experiences.
• Build in time at the end of the time on the site to see how everyone is feeling and talk about any issues that came up.