Why?

Service

In keeping with our mission to instill an ethic of service in our youth, Service Over Self recruits teen volunteers from each of our middle and high schools into community service projects. SOS volunteers log more than 6,000 hours of service each year to local nonprofit and service agencies of Georgetown County.

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Character education

While community service is the driving force behind SOS programs, it is necessary to help "build" a well-rounded, well-prepared young adult. SOS provides character education in various ways including team-building workshops, health/CPR certification classes, and career guidance/job readiness activities. Additionally, SOS sponsors a teen pregnancy prevention initiative. These opportunities, along with the SOS service and esteem building components, prepare our youth to be advocates in our community.

Esteem building

In order for young people to make wise decisions and be active members of society - and the Georgetown County community - we must work to build self esteem. SOS encourages positive self esteem in several ways: by enlisting volunteers to speak and be advocates at local and statewide functions and at youth meetings; by providing access to opportunities to serve the community thereby gaining job/interpersonal experience through service, through character educational activities, by having no criteria for membership, and by offering the companionship and leadership of our dedicated adult volunteers.

SOS Grant

Service Over Self (SOS), a non-profit, grassroots organization with a proven track record for being a results-oriented, community collaborator and leader in the area of youth development, has received a $223,000 grant to help eliminate juvenile delinquency by promoting and fostering positive youth development in Georgetown County, through the Georgetown County Coalition for Teens (GCCT) project. The Georgetown County School District, through The Safe Schools - Healthy Students program, will offer the following programs: Synergy Education Excursions career awareness activities, including field trips to various organizations and industries; Olweus Bullying Prevention program; and Life Skills Training program for middle school students. The Bullying Prevention and Life Skills Training program are evidence-based programs found in the South Carolina Toolkit for Evidenced-Based Prevention. Georgetown County School District would like to thank Congressman James E. Clyburn for the grant received from the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice.