Service Learning Assignment

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.

I had to understand the circumstances in which people were in and how interact with residents respectfully and compassionately which provided opportunities for personal growth by practicing integrity, justice and good stewardship. Though I was a bit hesitant, my experience has been very positive. Just being a volunteer without any related experience or skills, I was unqualified to help and many ways. The few menial tasks that I was able to do seemed to be met with much enthusiasm and appreciation. Simply helping someone to their seat bringing them a cup of tea or

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).

Before deciding where I wanted to do my service learning, I knew I wanted to do something that had some relevance to my degree that I will be receiving in healthcare management. I was eager to gain more experience and become more knowledgeable of how an organization operates as it relates to healthcare management. I was able to secure an opportunity to volunteer at the Dallas Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital. After completing the required VA forms, I got partnered with Mr. Alonzo Price Jr. who is a Management Analyst in Ambulatory Care, which is the department that oversees the Primary Care Providers.

The critical difference of service learning and the traditional learning style is that students are learning and addressing real needs in the community. Which connect students to the community through meaningful interactions with others, safety, and educational needs. This specific course includes readings, discussions, and activities to support

When I began my Civics class, thinking it potentially difficult and boring, I did not initially look forward to this project. However, as I did each activity, I found myself enjoying each and every one. From sitting in a board meeting to collecting trash, I discovered something new in all of the ways I volunteered. Not only did the people I volunteered for gain something through my service, but I feel that I gained a lot as well.

I selected to do my service learning at this site because of the various programs it has to offer to the different age groups within the community. Also, because this non-profit organization does outreach to people that are less disadvantaged and are in need of their programs and services for optimal health. At the center I participated in the senior and adult program. This program provides nutrition education, food demonstrations, and physical activity to older adults. My role at this site as a volunteer was to assist in researching and presenting nutrition related information related to problems such as, diabetes and obesity in adults and the elderly. I did lots of research to help create lesson plans and make flyers, brochures, and posters so that I could use as tools for presentations and give out to the members. I did presentations for example, regarding the importance of drinking water, exercising, my plate and increasing leafy green vegetables and fruit consumption. In addition, to the nutrition education I helped do food demonstrations in where I prepared healthier food options and introduce them to new foods. In

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

Service Learning is learning through experience to gain sociological observation, concepts, and theories so I decide to do my service learning hours in one of the two high schools that is part of the Oceanside Unified School District. The name of the school is called El Camino High School. El Camino High School is a high school that is located at 400 Rancho Del Oro Drive in Oceanside, California. It has over 3,000 students currently attending. The school’s mascot is the “Wildcat” and their colors are gold and red. El Camino High School is a public school that is part of a system of free public education that is maintained at a public expense for the education of students who are part of that community or district. El Camino High School is a place is a public school where students are coming out of middle school and are

Through out my service-learning project there were different activities and sites my cousin and I visited in the community. The first site my cousin and I had our activity in was in my home in Boyle Heights, where we had a conversation about his diabetes and talked about his experiences with type1 diabetes as a teenager. I decided to choose my home as our first activity because it was the perfect place to ask my cousin to participate in my project and make him feel comfortable enough to share his experiences with me. The second activity we arranged was a lunch date at Outback Steakhouse in Glendale. Having lunch at a restaurant was my cousin’s idea because he wanted to show me how different and difficult it can be from eating a home made meal.

Recap your service-learning project. What do you do? When or for how long? Where? With what issue did your service-learning project connect? Did you work with others in any way? How? In other words, give full, specific details about your amazing work!

When I signed up for this course I did not know it was a service learning class. During the first class period, as the professor described that this course is a service learning course, I wasn’t sure about it but as the professor talked about what that service was I knew this would be a good experience for me since I have no knowledge about Alzheimer’s and Dementia. When she told us we would be spending 10 hours over the semester with a Alzheimer’s/ Dementia patient, I began to put a smile on my face. I did so because I knew what us as students going to these sites would brighten and lift these patients up. That’s something I would enjoy doing, I love making others happy and if just by me being there for 1 hour will do that then that will give me all the experience I need. Throughout

The greatest unintended consequence in our service learning assignment was unequal marginal costs and benefits leading to a large shift in marginal behavior. While the assignment does encourage students to consider the costs and benefits of where they want to complete their service learning it would seem, based on my own preference and from what I’ve gathered in conversations with other students, that probably around 80-90% of the class is completing their service learning through the NYSMM. If we were to look at this from the perspective of a market, having one firm with that much control over the market is pretty close to a monopoly. So the question stands, what policies in place created this monopoly? Firstly, I would say that the NYSMM’s

The Society for Experiential Education defines service learning as, “any carefully monitored service experience in which a student has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience” (Staton 1). Service learning is a great opportunity to get extra learning experiences while also experiencing the community around the universities campus. “Service learning allows students to apply what they are learning from their instructors, peers, and readings to genuine tasks that occur outside the four walls of the classroom while simultaneously helping others” (Staton 1). Universities are using service learning to expand beyond the classroom and provide students with experiences that will