Nurturing service leaders through service learning for university students

To meet the demand for service leaders in today’s service-oriented economies, The Hong Kong Institute of Service Leadership and Management (HKI-SLAM) proposed the service leadership model advocating that effective service leadership is a function of moral character, leadership competencies, and a caring disposition (E=MC2). A 3-credit service learning subject entitled “Service Leadership through Serving Children and Families with Special Needs” was developed at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to enable students to learn, apply, and reflect on the essential qualities of effective service leaders through developing and implementing service programs to adolescents, children and families at the Society of Boys’ Centre and Heep Hong Society. 145 students participated in this subject across two semesters in the 2013-14 academic year. This paper introduces the subject and reports the results based on subjective outcome evaluation and feedback of students from agency staffs. Student reflections and implications on the nurturing of service leaders through service learning will also be discussed.