Community Service

National Director of Community Service
Georgette Countee
University of Alabama School of Law
communityservice@nblsa.org

Time Specific Initiatives

Community Service Week
Local chapters are asked to plan a week of community service. Chapters should try to integrate the concerns of their communities with at least one of the national or regional initiatives. The National Community Service Week should consist of at least three events and be held during the month of October.

Founder's Day of Service
In honor of our visionary founder, Algernon Johnson ("AJ") Cooper, all chapters should host an event on the last Saturday of October; this can be done in conjunction with the National Community Service Week. During this event chapters should aim to conduct an activity that will be attended by a large percentage of NBLSA members and that promotes NBLSA's tradition of community service.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day of Service
The MLK Day of Service provides students with the opportunity to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. King by serving the community. Should a local chapter choose to plan a larger-scale project, the Corporation for National and Community Service provides funding for non-profit groups who are organizing and implementing a King Day service project.

Suggested Programming Initiatives

Youth Empowerment | Adopt -a-School
Local chapters should work with area schools to address legal issues facing the most vulnerable people in the criminal justice system - children. Programs should educate youth, teachers, and administrators about relevant juvenile justice topics and encourage children to consider applying to law school in the future.

Youth Empowerment | Child Wellness and Safety
Local chapters should seek to partner with organizations that promote the health and safety of children. Health organizations should focus on prevention or treatment of child health issues that disproportionately affect black communities. Safety organizations should focus on the prevention and eradication of child exploitation or child abuse and neglect.

Youth Empowerment | Stop Child Trafficking
Domestic and international trafficking of children is an issue that plagues African American children and immigrant children of the African Diaspora. Chapters can partner with organizations that advocate on behalf of trafficked persons to educate their communities about the warning signs and dangers of human trafficking.

Criminal Justice Reform | Early Intervention
Many children enter the criminal justice system at a young age. Young offenders are often supervised at probation offices or group homes. Local chapters should seek to these institutions to mentor young offenders. Local chapters should educate young offenders about the challenges they will face in the criminal justice system and develop ideas to stop revolving door cycle.

Criminal Justice Reform | Successful Re-entry
Recidivism is a pervasive problem in the black community. Local chapters should help populations of recently-released persons to find the resources needed to successfully re-enter society.

Criminal Justice Reform | Incarcerated Populations
Chapters should identify and partner with organizations that address issues faced by the most vulnerable of incarcerated populations: juveniles sentenced as adults, prisoners suffering from mental illness, and prisoners who have been sexually assaulted while incarcerated.

We hope each chapter is able to fully implement the initiatives and show the nation that NBLSA is committed to advocating for and bringing awareness to our community as we continue giving back.

Please feel free to contact the National Director of Community Service or any of the Regional Community Service Directors with questions.