About Us
What We Offer
The Grove Project operates as a structured, tiered service-learning program designed to develop social-emotional skills and civic engagement among youth ages 5 to 18 through age-appropriate, hands-on volunteerism.
- Single-day Service Events for elementary aged students. Youth are introduced to community needs and empowered to contribute through accessible, impactful projects.
- The Youth Council for middle school students in grades 6–8. Participants meet monthly during the school year to explore key areas of community need—food insecurity, grief, and disability inclusion—through expert-led sessions.
- The Leadership Council is a yearlong mentorship-based experience for high school students, culminating in a capstone project where each participant co-designs and leads a service project for National Youth Service Day.
- Customized Programs for schools and existing teams/groups ranging in age from Kindergarten- 8th grade. Grove leaders will lead a tailor-made program on-site at your organization.
What You'll Gain
Have you ever wanted to volunteer in your community, but didn't know where to begin?
With The Grove you will learn how to investigate, plan, take action and reflect on
needs in your community through a combination of hands-on volunteering and a
service curriculum. You will also grow personally and developmentally as you strengthen
your communication, leadership and teamwork skills.
Community Impact
Through service-learning workshops and standalone events, participants gain hands-on experience while exploring community needs in areas such as food insecurity, grief, foster care, disability inclusion, homelessness, and animal welfare.
The Grove Project partners with local nonprofits to ensure that all service opportunities are impactful, educational, and rooted in the realities of the local community.
Programs
The Leadership Council
This selective high school program empowers students to elevate their community engagement by stepping into leadership roles—mentoring younger Grove participants, forging relationships with nonprofit partners, collaborating with peers, and co-creating the Madison Day of Service (DOS). Throughout the year, participants dive deep into a personally meaningful service theme, partner with a nonprofit that is aligned with the cause, work alongside a dedicated mentor, and design a hands-on service project to be implemented during the DOS.
The Youth Council
This year-long program offers middle schoolers a dynamic opportunity to strengthen their social and emotional wellbeing through immersive, hands-on community service. Grounded in the core Grove values—Gratitude, Respect, Optimism, Voice in community, and Empathy—participants explore five distinct service themes. For each theme, students learn about pressing local issues, engage in targeted small-scale projects, collaborate to plan and lead three major service events, and reflect deeply on their growth and impact along the way.
Community Program Offerings
The Grove Project offers a range of community-based programs designed to bring service learning to youth in accessible and engaging ways. These include after-school enrichment programs that focus on hands-on service experiences, in-school Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs that integrate service with emotional growth and reflection, and multi-week service programs tailored for existing groups such as: schools, Scouts, clubs, or sports teams. Each offering is grounded in the Grove's core values and designed to foster empathy, leadership, and a deeper connection to community.