My Strengths And Weaknesses Of An Service Learning Project Essay

I decided to start volunteering at the local humane society because I’ve always been really passionate about animals and wanted to start benefiting them in the community. Prior to my service I was delighted because I’ve wanted to start volunteering for years and was glad the opportunity had presented itself. Throughout my experience I learned a great deal and met a lot of new people. Even though I’ve only just started serving my time at the Fox Valley Humane Association I can truly see the difference it has made in the community.

Human services professionals are those who facilitate and empower those in society who require assistance in meeting their basic human needs both emotionally, mentally, and physically. Human services professionals work with diverse cultures in many different settings to provide prevention, education, and resources for individuals, families, groups and communities. Some of the populations served are, children and families, adolescents, and the homeless. To support groups in crisis human services professionals must be committed, patient, possess listening skills, and have an ability to be empathetic without reducing one’s ability to be empowered (Martin, 2011).

I signed up to volunteer at a local nursing home. Because my father works there, I have been there many times before. However, volunteering there was very new to me.

What does community service means to me? Well, to me community service mean helping your community become a better place. When you do things for your neighborhood, it makes you feel like a better person. There are all sorts of activities you can do in your community. You can work with children at school, work with the elderly, or help people that are less fortunate and make their day very special. Community Service is very important because it gives you a chance to bond with the people in your neighborhood. It will also give you a chance to give back to your community , you’ll learn a lot from your experience, and you’ll make a difference in someone’s life. I recommend a lot of people to go out and make a difference.

A Service Learning project is one of the project requirements to complete the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree through Ferris State University (FSU). My Service Learning experience was completed at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) in November, 2014. This paper includes details of the facility along with the contact information for the coordinator of the project. A description of my role as a volunteer, critical reflection of my experience, and a synthesis of the Service Learning are also included.

It is also a “boundary spanning” activity in that it requires active involvement from people both within and outside of the classroom context, often resulting in participant contributors who represent a variety of generations, ethnicities, social groups, and experience levels (Billig and Furco, 2002, p.vii). Service-learning is designed to reduce the boundaries between an institutional campus environment and the community around it. It is designed to connect learning to real experience through service and reflection (Ball and Schilling, 2006; Becker, 2000). As a baseline to facilitate this development, service-learning is distinct from other types of community service and civic engagement experiences in that the service-learning experience must not only have a service and reflective component but also be clearly tied to the curriculum through learning objectives and theoretical underpinnings (Bloomquist, 2015; Pritchard, 2001). As Barbara Holland, former Director of the U.S. National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, shared, “Service-learning is all in the hyphen. It is the enrichment of specific learning goals through structured community service opportunities that respond to community-identified needs and opportunities.” (Kenworthy-U’Ren, Taylor, and Petri, 2006: 121).

As a student, I have demonstrated many works of service to my community and school. Service opportunities have shaped me into the person I am today and these projects have made me realize how fortunate I am for all that I have. While I've been doing these service projects through the years, it has been a pleasure seeing the joy on the faces of people that aren't as fortunate as I am. Service projects that I have completed include managing the fish booth at the St. Leo's Parish Festival, being an altar server at St. Leo's Parish, helping cook dinner for the Ridgway Fire Department during carnival day setup, participating in the St. Marys Light Up Night by dancing, and Christmas caroling to local residents. I also participated in a zombie/princess

Mary, a 31-year-old single mother of three children (ages 9, 5, and 3) has been seeing Annabelle, a mental health counselor at a community mental health center for about 4 months. She has become increasingly anxious over past few weeks and reports that she feels frightened all the time, is unable to sleep through the night, and worries that “something horrible is going to happen.” She also admits to having a “couple of drinks” during the evening several times a week. Mary shared during her last session with Annabelle that she is very worried that she is a horrible mother and is afraid that her children will be taken away and placed in foster care.

In the past century, the scope of practice and competency of Human Services has developed and devised astronomically alongside its counterparts who include Social Work, chemical dependency research, and most importantly; Psychology. There have been numerous of advocates, social workers, researchers, and psychologists that have contributed to the progress and functionality in this delicate but crucial field of work. Although all of these people influenced and shaped what the vast field of human services looks like today, there is one psychologist in particular that played an important role in the creation of his aiding work has evolved into today.

For this service learning project, my group and I organized a goods drive. We placed donation boxes around Denton for art-therapy supplies. The group also held an event on November 6, 2017, at Texas Woman’s University to encourage students to make donations. All the donations went to the Child Advocacy Center in Denton; this organization provides assistance to children that have been victims of physical or sexual abuse. This service learning project relates to the theories and ideas in chapter 13 and chapter 14 of Women’s Lives: A Psychological Exploration. Chapter 13 relates to mental health, and it signifies the importance of social support during stressful

At first when I found out I was going to have to do this essay I was not too excited. I had no idea what I could possibly write about because I did not know that things I did on the average day could be considered community service.

For my service learning aspect of this course, I volunteered at Lawrence Catholic Academy. There I worked one-on-one with a fourth grade boy who was struggling in all of his subjects. His grades were not very high and he needed a lot of extra help. One reason as to why he wasn’t doing well in school was because he rarely ever did his homework and therefore he always fell behind in class. Another thing that I had found out just a couple of weeks ago is that he was very sick last year and he had to miss half a year of school. Since he wasn’t in school for half of the year, he didn’t learn the material that he needs to know and therefore he is even further behind compared to the rest of his peers. I would always try my best to help him understand

Today there is a great need for social service organizations. The population of a lot of cities and countries has grown, creating the need for more shelters, soup kitchens, and so on. Most of these organizations are church based and community founded. Then there are others that are funded by federal and state government.

Motivation for social service and/or social change, social work education, and a career in the profession.

At the start of my placement, I was anxious, and scared all at the same time. I had never worked with youth before, or had a background in it. I was essentially thrown right in, and now I realize that is the only way to become acquainted with this type of work. Early on open communication allowed me to ask questions, and gain perspective on things I was unaware of. Before long I was communicating ideas and concerns to superiors formally, and informally. It did not take long for increased roles and responsibilities within the program and organization.