Service Learning
Sanford Center for Aging
A student and a participant socialize during a 2019 intergenerational event hosted by the GAP and the Sanford Center.
Service Learning is an important aspect of gerontological education. The GAP programs require a minimum of 135 hours of service learning. See the Minor and Certificate requirements for the number of hours required in specific courses.
- Work hands-on with elders
- Develop relationships with professionals in aging services
- Advance your critical thinking skills
- Grow a professional network
Share your service learning experiences in a variety of modalities, including a professional poster, journaling, performance art, video production, visual art and writing poetry.
Each year, a service learning partner is selected signifying excellence in students mentorship.
What Service Learning students say
"I'm really glad that I've had the experience to hang out with some of the older adults and get to know them, get to know their stories, tell jokes with them. ... to be a community. It' really great."
- Rebecca Paulson, GERO 201 (Instructor: Tyler Livingston, Spring 2020)
"Service learning allowed me to apply the knowledge I learned in class to real-life situations. I was able to interact with a diverse population of elders that I would never have been able to without this experience."
- Heather Rose Gonzales, GERO 431 (Instructor: Amy Dewitt-Smith, Spring 2019)