A reservoir of support is developed for identification of local issues, issue programming, and issue-oriented service. McPherson suggests that the culture of the local community shapes the school to such an extent that restructuring the school is impossible without simultaneously reshaping the local community. The concept of the school as the center of change must not be interpreted to mean that the school alone can do what is necessary. The school exists as part of a larger ecosystem that often hampers the school's efforts to become a renewing culture in which the very best educational and social values permeate daily life. It is difficult to disagree with those social reformers who believe that reform of the school without reform of the larger society is futile.
Social change is an interactive process affecting the entire social system.
A proactive approach to social change demands the mutual involvement of concerned, Committed, and skilled persons in both the educational and public sectors. By building intergenerational partnerships around issues, servicelearning can enable youth, adults, and seniors to take greater responsibility for the quality of community life. In this setting, the web of human relationships can become the fabric of cohesive community. Recipients of service benefit from direct aid, human involvement and personal empowerment. A direct benefactor is the one who receives services, the client.