Our Programs
Bringing service museums to the people
Service happens everywhere, but nowhere is there a physical space to honor and inspire service. While the National Museum and Center for Service seeks to establish a signature museum near the National Mall in Washington DC, not everyone in the nation can make it to DC and the stories of service deserve to be told in the places where they happen.
Every community across America has people and organizations engaged in service, and every community has public spaces where service can be honored. This is why we are partnering to establish community based exhibits of service, a model that provides the tools and resources for communities across the nation to celebrate service locally. These exhibits will be community led, through collaborations between local institutions, service organizations, schools and individuals.
Campus Museum of Service
Most colleges and universities have Centers for Civic Engagement, Service learning, and/or Community Service. Few, if any, have exhibitions or dedicated public spaces where they celebrate and champion the diverse and rich ways students, alums, faculty, and staff serve their communities, institutions, and nation. This is why the NMCFS is partnering to co-create tools and resources to support higher education institutions create prototypes and incubate exhibitions of services on campus.
Pilot program partner:
Library Museum of Service
With a rich history and tradition in American history, public libraries have long been a central hub of services for the local community. Beyond a center for knowledge and literature, libraries offer an open space that brings community members together supporting social infrastructure through events, activities and services. NMCFS is working with public libraries to create a model where libraries can partner with local service organizations to honor and celebrate the many ways people serve their local and global community.
Pilot program partner:
School Museum of Service
Young people across the nation are taking action in their community, through formal and informal volunteering and classroom based service learning - a practice that has been proven to increase academic outcomes, civic engagement and career readiness. Yet oftentimes young passionate changemakers do not receive the same recognition their more athletically inclined peers receive for their achievements. Service Achievements deserve to be celebrated, and their stories can inspire further community engagement by others. The NMCFS is co-creating a program and building a network of high schools and junior highs piloting service exhibitions within their buildings and communities.
Pilot program partner:
How to get involved
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As a non-profit organization, the development of these programs and open sourced resources isn’t possible without the gracious support of our donors. Inspire service in communities across the country, donate today.