Reflection on Service Learning

I have yet to attend any serious service learning sessions, for reasons that I don't even fully comprehend. I've felt a little apprehensive, as I've never really participated in any community outreach or involvement before. When I needed "service hours" for something like beta club or a similar organization, I just tutored people in subjects I excelled in. I've never gotten into actual work in a garden or a soup kitchen or anything with a more widespread effect. I tend to be a person who is fairly reluctant to try new things until I absolutely have to, and it appears that this service learning course will be no different in that regard. 

I do plan on attending a garden session this Friday, though. Let's all hope that I don't back out last minute due to unnecessarily crippling fears of the unknown! 

The only thing I have towards my 20 hours in this course comes from the key-center's presentation on what a service learning course entails. I can take this space, though, to reflect on the distinctions UNCA makes in regards to charity vs. service-learning and my opinion on the matter. 

The more traditional model they describe is that of charity, which shows an emphasis on helping others and feeling good about it. This is most people’s idea of community service, but the key center would have you believe that charity is outdated and leads to horrible assumptions about groups of people. I feel as though there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to help others to feel good about yourself, because it’s still a step above sitting on your couch doing nothing. I could see how a charity based service learning style could lead to oppressiveness (thinking of unfortunate people as lesser, et cetera), but I imagine more often than not that it wouldn’t. The same kind of people that would have signed up for a service learning course before the social change model was introduced would still be the same kinds of people who sign up for the social change service learning courses. 

The social change based model of service the key center touts as being more effective involves becoming an active member of the community and helping build connections between students and the people being given assistance. Here they emphasize a value of equality and collaboration, which arguably does go a little farther than just helping someone and feeling high and mighty for a week or so. Community being stressed does seem to be a more noble, equal goal than just helping the unfortunate. Ultimately though, I do feel that the social change model isn’t really any better, I feel like it is just UNCA trying to be progressive for progressiveness’ sake.