Daeja Tillis

CASC 3400

Emily Wu

Sept 3, 2018

Critical Reflection 1: Service Learning & Community Engagement

Service learning, unlike volunteer work, allows for people to be in touch with their community as well as learn from them. Chapter 7 of A Movement’s Pioneer talks about how the Urban Corps Internship was pretty much a service learning course under a different name. The excerpt points out that they noticed five main changes in the students’ attitudes. It reads “their concept of the role and responsibilities of government changed. Second, their attitudes toward themselves changed in terms of what they thought they could and would do.” I believe that service learning pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to face and overcome new challenges. The chapter also talks about how they went after using work study to carry out their service learning or internship because the participation in volunteer programs was low. Service learning as a course challenges you to be aware of your surroundings and come out with a better understanding. In my experience, people like to volunteer once in a while because they want to do a good thing, or they might not think critically about the work they’ve done.

This semester, I think of my role in the community as someone that is there to help and work with the people. In my last service learning class, I just saw myself as someone that would come, help, and do interviews. I really wanted to understand the community better and hear things that other people don’t tell you. This time around, I’m not as nervous to walk into a new environment. Remen writes, “when you help, you see life as weak. When you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole.” This quote is so great because I really value walking into the community as an equal. I feel like I see so many people that do service learning and think they’re there to help and give people what they can’t get on their own. I really agree with when she says that when you help, you see life as weak. That is the opposite of what I want to walk into service learning thinking. It says, “From the perspective of service, we are all connected: All suffering is like my suffering and all joy is like my joy. The impulse to serve emerges naturally and inevitably from this way of seeing.” I also agree with this statement because people are people just like you no matter where you go or the circumstances they’re in.

This semester I would really like to focus on critically reflecting on root causes of systemic social/environmental issues. This learning outcome stands out to me because I will be working with Young Moms Marin, and me not being a young mom makes me want to have a better understanding of them and what they go through. More importantly I want to build a strong connection with both the moms and the kids and really help provide a safe space for them.