From ideas to impact: A path to community service

“What service project do you want to do this year?” It’s a question I recently asked a teen youth group — and one that many adults ask when working with youth groups who regularly engage in community service. 

Often, the answers are projects the group has done before, which is a wonderful way to continue a tradition. But when a group doesn’t know where to start or wants to try something new, it presents an incredible opportunity for youth to connect more deeply with their communities and make a meaningful impact.

A few years ago, I developed a program and curriculum to position young people as changemakers in their communities. At its core is a structured process for carrying out service projects that is modeled on how public policy is developed. One of the key tools is the Eightfold Path, a framework by Eugene Bardach that guides users through a series of steps for identifying and analyzing community problems, designing solutions and bringing those solutions to life.

Using the Eightfold Path with a youth group

Here’s how the Eightfold Path works and how you can use it with a youth group.

Define the problem

Begin by clearly defining the problem you want to address. The way you define it shapes everything that follows. For example: “Too many students arrive to class hungry” is different from “Our county lacks affordable grocery options.” Those two statements lead to very different strategies.

Assemble evidence

This is where research comes in. Collect data, read reports, talk with community members or review best practices. While gathering evidence takes time, Bardach argues that the thinking and reflection you do in this stage are even more essential. Your findings may cause you to revise your problem definition. 

Construct alternatives

Brainstorm potential solutions; no idea is too big or too small at this point. Look at what’s already being done, identify gaps and imagine new approaches. Later, you’ll compare and filter these options.

Select criteria

Decide how to judge your alternatives. What does success look like? Using the earlier example of food insecurity, is it fewer students skipping meals? Better access to nutritious food? Or greater community awareness? Your criteria might include feasibility, cost, equity, impact or sustainability.

Project the outcomes

For each alternative, predict the potential outcomes. This can be challenging, especially if you’re already attached to a particular idea. Try to remain objective and explore each option impartially.

Confront the trade-offs

Here, you compare the options using your criteria. What resources will each require? What are the risks or possible drawbacks? Sometimes partnering with existing efforts may be wiser than starting from scratch. Also consider what would happen if nothing changed, and how each of your solutions would be different from that.

Make a decision

Choose the most promising alternative and commit to it. Once the decision is made, put it into action.

Tell your story

After all of your hard work, it’s time to share the story of your journey. Present the work you’ve done through each step, explain why your chosen solution was the best one and share the impacts you helped achieve.

There are many ways to approach service learning with youth groups. While the Eightfold Path was originally designed for public policymaking, it serves as a valuable guide for youth-led projects. Following this structured process takes more time and effort than repeating familiar projects, but the results are often deeper community impact and stronger connections between youth and the people they serve.

So, the next time you ask your youth group what service project they’d like to do, consider walking with them down the Eightfold Path.