Critical Reflection 1

Neyda Anaya
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

Each article from the assigned reading all touched on the topic of what true service really is. The point of service is to teach and be taught, by having the perspective that both the one receiving the service and the one doing it are equals. The service should be done with our whole selves to connect us with the community we are serving by creating a symbiotic relationship in which both parties benefit from each other. Sadly, this always is not the case. A common theme throughout the readings was the reasons people tend to go into service in the first place and the dangers that it can cause.

Service-Learning: A Movement’s Pioneers Reflect on Its Origins, Practice, and Future Chapter 7, discusses the many different approaches Professors had to the service-learning practice. A common misunderstanding many students encountered was their reason for volunteering their service in the first place. The article had a perfect example of a student attempting to do good but only for her own selfish reasons. An excerpt from Service-Learning

“She came to talk to me about her frustration because it was taking so long to get this club off the ground. I was pointing out “You know you just don’t go out there and start a buying club.” And she says “Yeah, but the semester is coming to an end, and I have to go home for summer.” It was as if the community wasn’t operating on her schedule.”

This was a perfect example of a student having good intentions to try to make a change in a community in need, but having her priorities out of order. If her overall goal is to better the community, then the community should be put first.

The theme of selfish reasons behind volunteering continued with Ivan Illich’s “To Hell with Good Intentions.” This article mainly focused on American’s who go out to underdeveloped countries to attempt to help, but end up doing more harm than good. Illich states “All you will create in Mexico is a disorder.” He refers to the culture shock that usually happens when people with different lifestyle and ideas go into another country disrupting their way of life. He also points out how there our communities in our country that suffer on a daily basis, but instead we choose to invade someone else’s home to make us feel better about ourselves. Illich also states “… most of them are ridiculously proud of their “summer sacrifices.”” The problem with thinking of service to communities, such as the ones in Mexico, is the idea that their lifestyle is a sacrifice in comparison to yours. This leads to the misconception of thinking that we are superior to those who have less or live differently. This is not serving, but fixing and helping.

The terms helping Fixing and Serving can easily be misunderstood and interchanged, but what some people do not realize is that they are different due to the perspective behind how we use the words. According to Naomi’s Helping, Fixing, and Serving, “When you help you see life as weak. When you fix you see life as broken. When you serve you see life as whole.” The Service-Learning department here at Dominican University of California, do an amazing job at emphasizing that when we serve it is a privilege for both parties. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to engage and learn from our community partners, as well as it being a privilege for our community partner to have us volunteering ourselves to make a change.

F18 Community Action & Social Change: Theory and Practice

This is the Medium page for the Fall 2018 Community Action and Social Change: Theory and Practice course. CASC: Theory and Practice is a core course for Dominican University of California Minor in Community Action and Social Change.

Neyda Anaya

Written by

F18 Community Action & Social Change: Theory and Practice

This is the Medium page for the Fall 2018 Community Action and Social Change: Theory and Practice course. CASC: Theory and Practice is a core course for Dominican University of California Minor in Community Action and Social Change.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade