Community service and school have not always been synonymous. However, at a University that is “dedicated to the public good” service learning has become commonplace. Many students at the University of Denver participate in service learning. There are service learning classes and living and learning communities that encourage DU’s students to be civically engaged. The question still lingers though, if service learning is a positive force in student’s educational experience. It seems that most students at the very least enjoy their service while in the class. Some may find it meaningful enough to continue even after the requirement is fulfilled. Still others may find that service takes something away from their classroom learning and struggle to both serve and have a rigorous school schedule. Many in our class have expressed that they have had a positive experience, but may not have been so civically involved had it not been for the class. What has your experience been with service learning? Do you think it is something positive? Would you ever consider continuing your work with Project Angel Heart or another organization even after a service requirement had been completed?
Community service and school may have not always been synonymous, but what about community service and democracy? We live in a democratic society where the people hold the power. We have a greater responsibility and commitment to our society than many people realize. Just as voting is considered an essential duty as an American, is commitment to the public good also an American duty? As Americans, do we have a duty to give back to our society, to help those that are less fortunate? If you don’t believe that as American citizens we have a duty to our community, then where do you think our responsibilities lie, to what or to whom do we have a duty? Do we even have a duty as a citizen of a democracy?
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Service learning seems too subtle of a word to describe all that it encompasses. Its not just about doing service and its not just a way of learning outside of the classroom. It is a form of self-discovering. It is observing others and different ways of life. It is experiencing first hand what it means to be apart of something more than ourselves. It is life skills that simply can not be acquired in a normal classroom setting.
I have had a positive experience working with Project Angel Heart this quarter. I didn’t know what to expect when I signed up for the class, and it turns out I made the right decision. Although the class didn’t encounter one-on-one time with the clients, just being involved and knowing how an organization like this is run is so amazing to me. The volunteers are community members getting involved and giving back. Wouldn’t it be ideal for everyone to take a piece of their day and give it to someone else? Thats what I got out of the service learning portion of this class. Its not necessarily about how we give back, it’s that we are apart of something more than our small bubble that surrounds us. To contribute to a community, it takes anyone willing to just give a little of what they have to offer. This is definitely something I want to try to continue to in the future, maybe not with Project Angel Heart, but in some way!
One would think that we have duties as an American citizen, but I’m not convinced that everyone thinks this. For the most part, I would say that most Americans try to complete their duties to the country, such as simple civic duties like voting, taxes, obeying the law, etc. But on a greater scale, it seems to me that everyone is apathetic. Why exactly are their so many homeless people? I think our society as become more and more individualized. We live primarily with immediate family, where as nuclear families lived together maybe sixty or seventy decades ago. A sense of community seems to be lost because we isolate ourselves in houses or in cars, sometimes even avoiding any outside contact. Maybe it isn’t so bad to live more individually, but I do think that as Americans we should treat it as a duty to help those in need. There are simply ways to help, such as donating clothes or can foods to shelters. More involved ways would be volunteering at non-profit organizations that administer to extremely poor of homeless. Maybe this isn’t necessarily about being an American but what it means to be human. I think it can trace back to “ do unto others as you would want done unto yourself.” This quote isn’t just in the Bible, it is said in various ways in many religions and philosophies. So I ask, if you were one of those people in need, what would you want from your community?
Community service and being dedicated to the public good in my experience, has been very meaningful to me. First, service learning provides good morals and shows the qualities of ones own ethics. By spending your own time for the good of others, you as an individual can begin to see the importance of you actions. And it is these actions that separate you from normal individuals who do not contribute to the public good. Making for a positive experience, I just wanted to tag on that force is sometimes a good factor in that is pushes you go above and beyond the call of duty. Many students would have never thought about doing community service but through classes or certain programs that require you to do service learning, service learning becomes a main objective one wants to complete.
As fortunate people, I feel that we have a responsibility to help those you are less fortunate, whether they have faced some hard times or have been put in bad predicaments with little or no social capital. I’ve found that service learning is not only important to well-being of society but since we are a very wealthy country, service learning is something we can do very easily. Unlike some third-world countries that cannot afford to take the time and or resources to help the less fortunate, we as Americans can. Further more, as a democracy, everyone has individual rights and it is these rights that create actions. Whether it’s a new health care plan or way to clean up poverty in urban neighborhoods, our country does have its priorities set in helping the people of America. However, with so many issues and problems to deal with, that amount that can be accomplished in helping the less fortunate depends upon the input of the more fortunate. With schools pushing service learning on students, it only promotes the cause and opens up eyes to problems that need to be addressed.
I am currently enrolled in two different service-learning courses. My experiences in the two classes have been drastically different, which has encouraged me to think more deeply about the concept of service learning. I believe that service-learning has great potential as a required component of a class, but this potential can only be fully recognized under two important conditions: 1) The service itself must be well organized and flexible enough to fit into the schedule of each student. 2) The requirements of the service and any follow up work must be made clear so that students know what to expect. I believe that these conditions have been met in this class. Thanks to this, I have had many meaningful experiences with Project Angel Heart.
I would love to continue to volunteer with Project Angel Heart outside of the confines of class. At Angel Heart, as well as through my volunteer work with other organizations, I am struck by the importance of regular volunteers. These regular volunteers are the ones able to tell newcomers what needs to be done. While it is important to an organization to have sporadic and one-time volunteers, it is the regular volunteers who really make these non-profit organizations possible. One-time volunteers are necessary to an organization simply because of quantity. Enough one-time volunteers are able to accomplish a great deal. Regular volunteers are the glue that holds the organization together, though. I definitely plan to become a regular volunteer somewhere and possibly at PAH.
I firmly believe that all people have the responsibility to give something back to the world around them, whether this be as a student or as a member of a democracy. Everyone has something different to offer, and it is only through these offerings that any community can reach its full potential. Too often, people take what they have been given for granted. In truth, everyone has something that someone else lacks, and vice versa. We could all learn and gain so much from one another if only we would open our minds and our hearts to serving something bigger than ourselves.
I think that community service is essential and important to be civically engaged in our DU community and in our country. Through my Wellness LLC and through this writing class, it gives me two different opportunities to be engaged. I believe that it is important to be engaged to consider oneself a student and citizen in our society through service learning. For me personally, I find much gratification in service learning, but without programs such as this writing class and my Wellness LLC, I would never have been introduced to projects such as PAH and Project Homeless Connect. Being from a different state and coming here, I didn’t know of any such personal organization available to volunteer at. Having a Professor guide me and introduce organization to me has been very helpful.
I also think that as being an American citizen, it is very important to be engaged and to help the public that is less fortunate then ourselves. Although America is considered the “Land of Opportunity,” I do not believe everybody is given an equal chance to success. Children whose parents can afford private school are given a better change at college acceptance, and a better education- which leads to better ranking jobs ect. Those who are more fortunate I believe it is their responsibility to give back to those less fortunate. Living in a democracy, a land where we vote and have our own rights is even more of a reason to give back, so that they can share their wealth with those who will truly appreciate it.
My experience with service learning has been mostly positive. I value volunteering and was glad that I could take a class that incorporated volunteering with a required academic course. Though at times, I feel like it’s hard to keep the academic aspect balanced with the service work portion. I would definitely consider continuing to work with Project Angel Heart if I could, but the quarter is almost over and I also lack transportation at the moment. I wish that I could’ve done more as part of the class, but time always seems to become an obstacle. It takes a lot of effort and time to volunteer with an organization, so it was kind of nice to be required to do it. I do however plan to continue with my regular volunteering at The Gathering Place after I get back to school next year.
I think we should have a greater commitment to the public good in this country. It seems that America is about making money and living the comfortable life and I feel that a “consequence” of that mentality should be giving back to community and taking care of people in need, that can’t pursue those ends. A democracy is supposed to be run for the people by the people. Therefore, I believe that we the people are supposed to take care of each other. I think an important part of being a good citizen is living not only for yourself and your family, but also for the others in your community. I know that a lot of people have issues putting money and time towards people and causes that they feel are lazy or undeserving, but I think I finally understand that the issues are much more complicated than just being lazy or selfish. I personally feel that people in our country that are well off and prospering should help those that are unable to. However I also realize how difficult that is to do, difficult but necessary.
When part of a curriculum, civic engagement is called service learning for a reason. Volunteers reap positive benefits including personal identity development, moral development, interpersonal skills, reduced stereotyping, and increased social responsibility. As that person continues to participate, he experiences a tendency to look inward, to reflect on his own beliefs, standards and characteristics. Service learning provides a means for introspection and self-evaluation. A person refines his character and becomes polished in his skills.
Service learning is the concept that community service enhances the learning and course concepts of a class. I had four experiences this quarter with service learning: Habitat for Humanity, Project Homeless Connect, Project Angel Heart and forming a program for the Children’s Hospital. Each of these programs made me look inward through a different set of criteria. I was able to perform a great deal of self-evaluation as well as receiving new perspective on the world. These experiences also provided me with a field to apply my knowledge from a class. The most notable was the project for the Children’s Hospital.
For PLP, our class was split into groups. Each group had to determine its own project for a way to better the community. Through team dynamics and interactions we were able to analyze how we interacted as leaders and followers. The main concepts were the eight keys to a successful team and the five dysfunctions of a team. We were able to examine our results and apply these concepts to our experience. If we were unsuccessful, we could determine which of the dysfunctions we fell into. From there, we could figure out how to overcome that roadblock. The opposite was also true. If we were successful, we were able to determine which of the eight team characteristics made us overcome our obstacles. Service learning is a valuable tool. which is often underutilized
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