Community+Connections

As I have said in my personal narrative, I have had a comparable upbringing to that of many of the students I teach. And, where many of my extended family members have been caught up in the destructive cycle, I was able to forge my own path. I was not going to be“a passive recipient, or victim, of the realities and conditions” (Bopp andBopp, 2006, p. 65) that was the world around me. According to Bopp and Bopp (2006), “to change the pattern requires that people learn how to see and think and act in new ways that will lead to more sustainable and healthy ways of living” (p. 14). Through service-learning I hope students will find that same determinedness and confidence to rectify and shape their own journey through life. My aspiration is that through service they will want to better themselves and subsequently their communities. I have been a volunteer in the community for many years trying to work on the current issues and bring awareness to the gaps and silos and it is due to these experiences that I have really come to know my community. The future of our communities and environment are dependent on the youth and it is the experiences and education that we present to them now that is going to inform their ability to perform conscientiously in the time to come. This is why it is important that service-learning not be assigned. It is critical that students are engaged in the planning and implementation of the service. I am certain that when youth are presented with an opportunity to have their voices heard and their concerns addressed, we as a community are building capacity for further change and hopefully inspiring individual advancement. Healthy humans equal healthy relationships which equate to healthy communities. Service-learning is not just a teaching method. Kielsmeier (2000) describes service-learning as a philosophy, a community development model and a teaching and learning method:
 * As a //philosophy,// service-learning embraces young people as a community resource and asset. It views all people in a democratic society as citizens with the capacity to contribute- no matter their age.
 * As a //community development model//, service-learning takes on real issues such as pollution control, hunger and homelessness, and diversity. Communities change for the better when service and learning are joined.
 * As a //teaching and learning method//, service-learning is a form of active learning that values critical thinking and problem solving. Research shows that when service-learning is effectively implemented students gain in measures of academic achievement, citizenship, and character (as cited in Neal, 2003, p.5).

The benefits of service-learning to community centre on reciprocity. When students are acquainted with their community and feel they have an empowered role in it, they have been emboldened with a voice and ability to make change and improvements in those communities.