On Saturday, March 1, more than 125 high school students came together on the American University campus for LearnServe's first-ever Social Action Summit.  Participants chose from workshops led by LearnServe alumni and volunteers on topics ranging from design building to spoken word, social media to public policy.

Anshula Gandhi, a Fellows Program alumna and Summit volunteer, describes the event:

Thank you to Lisle International and American University's School of International Service for supporting LearnServe's inaugural Summit.

Hanna Batlan knows that women and girls have the ability to change the world.  Hanna is a LearnServe Fellow representing Bethesda-Chevy Chase high school, and is active in School Girls Unite, an organization that supports girls' education in Mali.  Through School Girls Unite, Hanna realized that women's representation is key to unlocking their potential.

Examples of women's accomplishments surround residents of Washington, DC - but they are not often depicted or discussed at school or in the media.  Hanna plans to actively connect these two issues in a way that's both fun and educational through ActionMapping.  She founded ActionMapping to organize themed scavenger hunts that use art and competition to foster discovery of influential women and their historical accomplishments.

The first scavenger hunt is planned for May 3, and will have the theme of "Firsts."  Without giving away too many secrets, locations may include the National Museum for Women in the Arts or the Supreme Court building.

Find out more about ActionMapping, and 60 other youth-led social ventures, at the 2014 LearnServe Panels and Venture Fair, on Thursday, April 24 at the School Without Walls.

RSVP for the 2014 LearnServe Panels and Venture Fair

Alli Baugher is a graduate of Susquehanna University with degrees in Spanish, Religion and Music, and American University with a MA in Teaching Secondary World Language.  She is a Teach for America ’08 alumna and is currently a Spanish teacher at her placement school, Ballou Senior High School, where she founded and directs the Ballou International Education Program. 

Alli grew up in Gettysburg, PA where she is the sixth generation in her family-owned and operated fruit tree business.  Her first exposure to Spanish was working in the orchard with predominantly Hispanic migrant workers during the summers and her first international trip was with her parents to visit apple growers in the south of France.  Her passion for travel and service grew in college when she participated twice in Susquehanna’s service-learning program in Central America and a semester abroad in Merida, Mexico.  Alli is thrilled that as a LearnServe Abroad Program Leader, she has the opportunity to provide the same sort of meaningful international service experiences to students all over the DC area including some of her own.  Alli has co-led the LearnServe Paraguay program, and this year is co-leader of LearnServe Zambia.