For most secondary and post-secondary students, learning a foreign language traditionally takes place in a classroom. In a domestic or international school setting, regardless of instructional method, the classroom represents a restricted space for learning. In this setting, learning takes place, but it is largely through the instructor's guidance, planning, input and encouragement. Education abroad, which is often valued for being a more effective and impactful way to learn a second language (L2), particularly due to increased motivation and self-efficacy (Cubillos & Ilvento, 2012; Preston, 2012; Rundstrom Williams, 2005), is unfortunately not an option for everyone. In order to provide similar experiences offered by education abroad and to give independence to learners in their learning process, alternative projects can be created to make learning more realistic and accessible to all. Today, a popular and practical tool for learning and practicing newly acquired knowledge across fields of study is to send college students into the community. This hands-on teaching and learning experience, often used in social studies and education, offers authentic opportunities to students and practical applications for classroom learning. The nature of community work, or more precisely of service learning, as it will be described subsequently, is that any field of academic focus can be addressed. Specifically to our interest, foreign languages can play a meaningful role in community or service-learning programs. Indeed, through service to the community, a student can practice his or her foreign language in authentic situations, gain quasi-professional experiences and help others.

Following a brief overview of service learning and its role in the foreign language realm, this chapter will describe the history and implementation of a specific college service-learning program, along with possible variations. It will share what to expect, how to find support and how all stakeholders can benefit from such work.