Student-Led International Service-Learning

Student-Led International Service-Learning

Exploring the intersectionality of student-‐led organizations, service-‐learning, and international education

Christine Donahue

University of Michigan School of Social Work Community Intervention

Professor Barry Checkoway Winter 2012

University of Michigan School of Social Work: Community Intervention December 2012

Christie Donahue 2

Sample of extra-‐curricular service-‐learning curriculum for University of Michigan student-‐

led international service organization Sa Nimá Collaborative that has annual international

trips to Guatemala. Sample plans developed by Christie Donahue, December 2012.

Sa Nimá Fall 2012-Summer 2013 Curriculum

September Week 1: Introduction to student organization and international partners Week 2: Introduction to project teams-background on project selection Week 3: Project teams-assessing what we know, setting goals

October Week 4: History of partner country-implications today Week 5: History of partner community-implications today Week 6: BREAK Week 7: History of organization-implications today

November Week 8: Discussion on International Development (Broad) Week 9: Foreign Aid versus Development Projects, Large and small scale Week 10: Appropriate technology and Development Week 11: Discussion on International Development (Connect to partners) Week 12: BREAK

December Week 13: Using Gapminder and other tools: Global Development Indicators Week 14: Discussion on “Sustainability” Week 15: Project check-in and Semester Review of Concepts, Evaluation

Winter Term: Team Building, Community Assessment Methods, Youth Empowerment, Entering and Exiting the Community, Reflective Practice, Relevant Speakers and Conferences, Pre-Trip Evaluation

Summer Trip: Carry Out Projects, Community Dialogue, Daily Reflective Activities, Mid-trip Evaluation

Post-Trip: Group and Individual Reflection, Post-trip Evaluation, Report Writing, Sharing with Stakeholders, Plan/Adapt Curriculum for Coming Year


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Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 4

DEFINING THE CONCEPTS 5 SERVICE-‐LEARNING 5 STUDENT-‐LED ORGANIZATIONS 6 INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE 7

CONCEPTUALIZING THE INTERSECTIONALITY 7 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE AND HIGHER EDUCATION 8 INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTARY SERVICE AND SERVICE-‐LEARNING 8 STUDENT-‐LED ORGANIZATIONS AND SERVICE-‐LEARNING 9 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE-‐LEARNING 10 STUDY ABROAD, COURSE-‐BASED 10 THE ALTERNATIVE, STUDENT-‐LED 11

INTERSECTIONALITY OF BEST-‐PRACTICES AND RESOURCES 11 SERVICE-‐LEARNING 11 STUDENT-‐LED ORGANIZATIONS 12 STUDENT-‐LED SERVICE-‐LEARNING 12 STUDENT-‐LED INTERNATIONAL SERVICE-‐LEARNING 14

IMPLICATIONS 14 STUDENT-‐LED SERVICE 14 INTERNATIONAL SERVICE 16

RECOMMENDATIONS 16 PROFESSIONALIZATION OF STUDENT-‐LED INTERNATIONAL SERVICE-‐LEARNING 17

WORKS CITED 19

APPENDICES 21 A: DEFINING SERVICE-‐LEARNING 21 B: ABOUT THE AUTHOR 22


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Introduction

An institution has been built around the pedagogy of service-‐learning. There are

documented best practices; there has been an array of research; and there are

measurements for evaluation. Universities and colleges in the United States have devoted

whole units of staff and faculty to facilitating partnerships; some high schools and religious

institutions have adopted and adapted the pedagogy for their own needs. Thousands of

students have come together alongside their Universities and Colleges to create their own

extra-‐curricular service-‐learning experiences locally, domestically, and abroad. This is

where my discussion will begin.

This paper will:

1. Explore the intersection of service-‐learning and student-‐led organizations with

special attention to international voluntary service.

2. Frame student-‐led service-‐learning as a viable, alternative form of traditional

service-‐learning with special considerations.

3. Re-‐examine International Service-‐learning through the lens of student-‐led

organizations as a special form of “study abroad programs”.

This paper will:

1. Begin with an overview of each of the three concepts

2. Conceptualize the intersections of each of the three concepts

3. Highlight best practices and resources for each

4. Discuss implications of student-‐led programs

5. Conclude with recommendations and suggestions for future research


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Defining the Concepts

Service-‐Learning

Service-‐learning is a form of experiential learning, rooted in the philosophy of John Dewey

and largely developed as pedagogy since the late 1980s. Harkavy and Hartley (2010) trace

the nature of service-‐learning back to Benjamin Franklin’s vision for the University of

Pennsylvania in 1740 as an “institution dedicated to promoting civic engagement.” In the

1920s and ‘30s Dewey elaborated the relationship between experience solving real

problems, education, and reflection. While the term “service-‐learning” was first officially

used in 1966 with Oak Ridge Associate Universities, it did not receive attention as a field

until the late 1980s. The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) hosted a

conference with 70 organizations in 1989 to develop the “Principles of Good Practice in

Service-‐learning.” The early 1990s arrived with legislative action that made service-‐

learning a nationally grant-‐supported practice, first with the National and Community

Service Act of 1990 then the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. In the

1990s, Campus Compact hosted 160 institutions of higher education in summer workshops

to develop service-‐learning curricula. In the late 1990s the first empirical research

demonstrated the effectiveness of service-‐learning as a model of practice. (Harkavy and

Hartley 2010)

While different definitions of service-‐learning highlight different aspects, at its core,

service-‐learning is characterized by:

• goal-‐setting: intentional development of goals based on desired learning outcomes


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• organized service: reciprocal and mutually beneficial service that meets community-‐

identified needs and desired learning outcomes

• reflection: deepens the learning experience before, during, and after service.

Some definitions of service-‐learning specifically state that the learning outcomes should be

associated with credit-‐based academic coursework. They also focus on the role of service-‐

learning to enhance civic responsibility. (Bringle and Hatcher 2011, Seifer 1998, National

1993) One definition also notes that service-‐learning curriculum includes learning about

the “context in which the service is provided” (Seifer 1998). Appendix A includes a

selection of definitions used to identify core characteristics of service-‐learning.

Student-‐Led Organizations

While best practices for forming, maintaining, and transitioning student-‐led organizations

are available through individual universities and institutions, they are not well defined in

academic research. In a guide for students on assessing and improving student

organizations, Ruben and Nolfi define a student organization as “any student-‐based

organization for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students” (2010). At the

University of Michigan, student organizations are student formed, focused, and led, work

toward a guiding mission, and are topical in nature. Student organizations are credited

with creating a niche for students in a large institution, enriching the cultural, social, and

academic climate on campus, and having a profound impact on the university and the

world. They provide opportunities for developing leadership, organizational skills, budget

handling and development, vision, strategic planning process, creative thinking, and

problem solving. (Guidebook 2011)


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International Voluntary Service

International voluntary service (IVS) is “an organized period of engagement and contribution to

society [in another country] sponsored by public or private organizations, and recognized and

valued by society, with no or minimal monetary compensation to the participant.” IVS can be

traced back to the peace and reconciliation process of World War I in the form of work camps

that brought together former enemies to work on community projects. It is increasingly used as a

method to promote international cooperation in the form of cross-cultural understanding, global

citizenship, and global peace. Formal programs for IVS may range in length from a week or less

to a few years or more and be organized by governments, for-profit businesses, or non-

governmental organizations (NGOs). Short-term programs are similar to the community

projects-focused work camps and may include informal education to enhance cross-cultural

understanding, personal development, and skill enhancement. (Stringham, 2005) (Sherraden,

Stringham, Sow, & McBride 2006) (Sherrard Sherraden, 2005)

Conceptualizing the Intersectionality

While the field of service-‐learning is an increasingly popular area of study, the role of

student organizations in providing extra-‐curricular service-‐learning opportunities has not

been explored to great extent. Further, the role of service-‐learning and student

organizations in an international context have not yet been explored at length.

This paper explores novel areas of the intersection of service-‐learning, student-‐led

organizations, and international voluntary service. The combination of service-‐learning

and international education is not novel—Bringle and Hatcher conceptualized

“International Service-‐learning” as the intersection of service-‐learning, international

education, and study abroad. In their book chapter “International Service-‐learning,” they


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consider the intersections between each of and all of the three components of international

service-‐learning (Figure 1). (2011) The following sections only begin to explore the

intersections in the adapted model for student-‐led international service-‐learning.

Figure 1: International Service-‐Learning is the intersectionality of service-‐learning and international education through the lens of course-‐based study abroad versus a student-‐led organization. The left diagram represents the Bringle and Hatcher conceptualization and the right diagram shows the alternative conceptualization that will begin to be explored in this paper.

International Service and Higher Education At a 2011 conference hosted by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in

St. Louis focused on creating a vision for the field of international service and higher education.

The Symposium Summary notes an increase in the number of people serving through

government, faith based, and volunteer sending organizations. The summary highlighted a few of

the many variations of identity in international service including, to name a few, course based

versus non-course based, individual versus group experience, length of one week versus a

semester or more, discipline specific versus general, and credit versus not-for-credit.

International Voluntary Service and Service-‐learning Combining and adapting several definitions of service-learning Gonzales applies a global context.

The definition largely reflects that of service-learning by Bringle and Hatcher and it adds a focus

Service-‐learning

International

Education Study Abroad

1 2

3

4

Service-‐learning

International

Education (International

Voluntary Service)

Study Abroad

Student-‐led Organization

1 2

3

4


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on cultural immersion1. According to Gonzales’ essential elements, global service-learning is:

interdisciplinary, oriented to local culture, engagement, collaboration, application of knowledge,

satisfies a need defined by the community, reflection on experiences, sustainability, and

flexibility and variety. Global service-learning is characterized by reciprocity; rigor, soundness,

appropriate learning, truly useful service, clear connection between studies and service,

development and demonstration of leadership skills, reflection, and support services. (2009)

Student-‐Led Organizations and Service-‐Learning While an array of international, national, state, community, and institution-level service-learning

programs do exist, students find value in creating their own programs—taking ownership over

the service experience and developing leadership and professional skills.

In an earlier article, Bringle and Hatcher claim that “Service-learning typically occurs

only if a faculty member develops a service-learning course[…].” (1996) Applying a more

liberal definition of service-learning (one that does not depend on faculty and credit), student-

initiated and led service-learning is prevalent and increasingly so. At the University of Michigan,

252 of 1067 recognized student organizations classify as “service/service-learning” (Maize

Pages)

If service-learning is characterized by goal-setting, organized service, and reflection,

many student organizations create their own service-learning experiences. Student organizations

traditionally meet regularly to discuss and work toward a mission. As depicted in the Sample

1 “Global service-‐learning is a course-‐based form of experiential education wherein students, faculty, staff and institutions a) collaborate with diverse community stakeholders on an organized service activity to address real social problems and issues in the community, b) integrate classroom theory with active learning in the world, c) gain knowledge and skills related to the course content and advance civic, personal and social development, and d) immerse themselves in another culture, experience daily reality in the host culture and engage in dual exchange of ideas with people from other countries (Bringle and Hatcher, 1995; Grusky, 2000; Kiely, 2005; University of Denver, 2006).”


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Curriculum at the beginning of this paper, student organizations dialogue and learn about the

context for the service performed.

Student-‐led service-‐learning organizations have a theme based on geographic

location of service, nature of service, or field of study applied. Learning goals are based on

understanding the context of the geographic location of service and any other theme of the

group. Much of the student learning and development is part of the organizational

leadership process.

Student-‐led service-‐learning organizations also provide organized service that

strives to be reciprocal and mutually beneficial in nature. Many student groups partner

with non-‐profit organizations to connect with a local, national, or international community.

Student-‐led service-‐organizations also reflect prior to, during, and after engaging in

service. Meeting throughout the year, student organizations reflect on their personal and

programmatic outcomes on the individual, group, university or community, and larger

levels.

As student leaders transition, intentional goal setting, community partnerships, and

reflection are key in transferring knowledge and organizational structure between

students.

International Service-‐Learning

Study Abroad, Course-‐Based Bringle and Hatcher define international service-learning as:

A structured academic experience in another country in which students (a) participate in

an organized service activity that addresses identified community needs; (b) learn from


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direct interactions and cross-cultural dialogue with others; and (c) reflect on the

experience in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a deeper

understanding of global and intercultural issues, a broader appreciation of the host

country and the discipline, and an enhanced sense of their own responsibilities as citizens,

locally and globally. (2011)

The Alternative, Student-‐Led The alternative model would adapt this definition only slightly to take the emphasis off of

“academic” and “course content” and to add emphasis on the intentional setting and attainment

of learning goals. At the University of Michigan, at least 36 of the 252 “service/service-learning”

student organizations carry out international service. Many of these organizations could be

classified as international service-learning due to the nature of their work that involves goal-

setting, organized service, and reflection. At a minimum, the organizations traditionally learn

about the context of the locations of service.

Intersectionality of Best-‐Practices and Resources Best-practices for service-learning are well defined both in academic literature and praxis.

Practical best practices have also been compiled for student-led organizations and some for

global service-learning (as defined by Gonzales). Many university campuses also have a range

of resources for students interested in service-learning and/or student leadership.

Service-‐Learning Commons elements among best practices for service-learning include integrated learning, high

quality service, partnership, student voice, reflection, and progress monitoring (RMC 2008 and

NSLC). The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) also identifies best

practices by stakeholder in a course-based service-learning context (student, faculty, institution,

and community) show in Figure 2 (1998). Many universities offer or require service-learning


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coursework through faculty-supported partnerships with community organizations. San

Francisco State University requires a service-learning course for graduate and offers a variety of

domestic and international opportunities. The University of Michigan does not require service-

learning coursework but makes dozens of courses available to students domestically through

Project Community and other programs and internationally through Global Course Connections.

Student-‐Led Organizations Ruben and Nolfi identify best practices for assessing and improving student-‐led

organizations in their guide for students. Categories for assessment include leadership,

strategic planning, constituent focus, membership and organizational climate, programs,

activities, and services, and outcomes and achievements.

Student-‐Led Service-‐Learning Many university campuses have units or institutions devoted to service or civic

engagement like the Haas Center at Stanford, the Center for Social Concern at Notre Dame,

and the Ginsberg Center at the University of Michigan. These locations provide an

incubating space for student-‐led organizations to create their own service-‐learning

programs. These institutions partner with national organizations that focus on service-‐

learning and student involvement like Campus Compact, the National Service-‐Learning

Clearinghouse, and BreakAway.

BreakAway provides models and guidance for students participating in an

Alternative Break (a school break in which students provide service and/or learn about a

special issue of social concern instead of traditional travel). Alternative Breaks groups

exist on many university campuses across the country and some are led by students

(University of Michigan) while others are facilitated by a faculty leader and student co-‐


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leaders (Michigan State University and UC Berkeley). The BreakAway model identifies

“Eight Components of a Quality Alternative Break”: Strong direct service, Orientation,

Education, Training, Reflection, Reorientation, Diversity, and Alcohol and other drug free.

Figure 2: Best Practices by Stakeholder. Course-‐based definition of service-‐learning. (Image from AACC 1998)

Student-‐led service-‐learning is a high quality form of leadership development. Many

campuses also have units for student leadership and campus involvement that provide


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guidance and resources. They are also connected to national organizations like

Leadershape, to develop student leadership abilities.

Students at Florida International University College of Medicine lead extracurricular

service-‐learning activities that “enhance professional development while responding to

community needs.” This particular organization provides a structure for collaboration and

best-‐practice development among students through “educational learning communities

designed to foster student connection, excellence, learning, leadership, and service.”

(Florida)

Student-‐led International Service-‐Learning While best practices are available for student-‐led organizations and service-‐learning

and for student-‐led service-‐learning organizations, there is less information available on

best practices for international service, international service-‐learning, and student-‐led

international service-‐learning. As is the case with student-‐led organizations, many of the

best practices are compiled by the organizations themselves, if at all.

Implications

Student-‐Led Service

Despite available resources on university campuses and online, there are many barriers

preventing student-‐leaders from accessing and utilizing them. It is important to recognize

the limited abilities of student leaders when assigning or allowing the great responsibility

of forming and/or navigating community partnerships in service-‐learning, domestically or

internationally.


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Training: First and foremost, it is important to recognize that most student-‐leaders

have no formal training in forming, maintaining, or terminating community partnerships.

The same also applies to most faculty leaders of service-‐learning courses since faculty are

likely to specialize in their own fields and learn the service-‐learning pedagogy on their own.

Students and faculty alike should not be endowed the responsibility of partnership

management without close support from a professional.

Developmental Stage: It is important to recognize that students are still developing

cognitively, intellectually, and personally so they often learn as they go and look to their

universities for guidance and support in their development. Students can learn from

mistakes but should not be left to learn from trial and error when the respect and dignity of

a community partner is involved.

Time-‐Commitment: Practically, it is also important to remember that student-‐led

service-‐learning is an extra-‐curricular experience (it is not for credit or pay) so even a

student who is willing to make a significant time-‐commitment is likely to make his/her

leadership duties secondary to his/her role as a student.

Integrating and Applying Resources: Considering the developmental stage of most

college students, the fact that extracurricular time is limited, and the wide variety of

campus and national resources available to students, it could be difficult for students to

access and process large amounts of information then apply in practice.

Leadership Transition: Finally, as students are usually in college for approximately

four years, they will only be involved as student leaders for 1-‐4 years maximum so

leadership transitions are extremely important. As student leaders transition, points of


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contact and experience with the community partner are lost, collective knowledge is

divided, and the direction of the organization is called into question and potentially

muddled again and again. This instability can strain community partnerships without a

strong connection. Again, resources are available to aid in these transitions; it’s just a

question of whether students will have the initiative, time, or ability to access them.

International Service While students can encounter drastic differences in cultures and social issues within their

state or the United States, international travel adds an extra dimension to the experience.

Social, political, economic, and cultural conditions may be much different than one could

find within the United States due to different policies, histories, and global affairs. Students

engaging in international service need to take extra steps to prepare for the cross-‐cultural

learning experience. Doll provides an introduction and best practices to “cross-‐cultural

service-‐learning.”

Findings from a study by Perold et. al. with international voluntary service host

organizations in Tanzania and Mozambique identified several challenges including: the

need for critical consciousness of imbalances between African continent and the

volunteer’s home country; to identify international voluntary service as a part of the

colonial legacy in Africa; and to host volunteers among financial and human resource

constraints (2012). In international service-‐learning, it is essential to respect the dignity

and self-‐determination of the partner.

Recommendations It is worth reiterating the unique nature of service-‐learning in that it involves a community

partner, which may be a community, institution, group, or individual. For this reason, it is


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important to emphasize how essential it is for faculty-‐led and student-‐led service-‐learning

partnerships to be well done and thorough.

Any well-‐done service-‐learning partnership should be sustainable and able to be

maintained until a mutual agreement between the community partner and service-‐learning

coordinator deems otherwise. It should also respect the self-‐determination and abilities of

the community partner when determining the service project and tasks.

Regulations and oversight should be put in place to support student learning and

development while maintaining a positive community partnership. Universities should

take a proactive approach to connecting students with campus resources for service-‐

learning and student-‐leadership; to train student leaders in community practice

techniques; and to oversee student-‐led service-‐learning partnerships locally, nationally,

and internationally.

Professionalization of Student-‐Led International Service-‐Learning This overview and preliminary analysis only scratches the surface of the topics it

covers and opens up many questions and opportunities for additional research related to

student-‐led organizations, extra-‐curricular service-‐learning, international volunteer service,

and the intersections between each and all of the concepts.

Recommended topics for further study:

• Introductory research on student-‐led service organizations domestically and

internationally

• Difference between access to, access of, and utilization of resources among student

organizations


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• Use of critical intergroup dialogue outside of the university setting by trained peer

and faculty facilitators in forming and maintaining partnerships

• Community service as a form of community intervention

Further professionalization of the field could advance student-‐leadership in student

organizations and ensure meaningful domestic and international service-‐learning

experiences.


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Works Cited

Bringle and Hatcher, “International Service-‐learning” Chapter 1 International Service-‐

learning: Conceptual Frameworks and Research. Series on Service-‐learning Research.

Vol. 1. 2011.

Bringle RG and Hatcher JA. “Implementing Service-‐learning in Higher Education.” The

Journal of Higher Education. Vol. 62. No. 2. 1996. pp. 221-‐239.

Doll JD. “Cross-‐Cultural Service-‐Learning: An Introduction and Best Practices.” In K. Flecky

and L. Gitlow Service-‐learning in Occupational Therapy Education: Philosophy and

Practice. Jones and Bartlett Publishers Inc. 2011. p. 31.

Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “Service-‐learning.”

Accessed: December 12, 2012.

http://medicine.fiu.edu/education/md/curriculum/service-‐learning/index.html

Furco A. “Service-‐Learning: A Balanced Approach to Experiential Education.” Expanding

Boundaries: Service and Learning. Washington DC: Corporation for National Service,

1996. 2-‐6.

Gonzales, D. “A Survey of Best Practices of Global Service-‐Learning Programs in UGA.”

University of Georgia Office of Service-‐Learning. July 2009.

“Guidebook for Recognized Student Organizations.” University of Michigan Student

Organization and Account Service and University Unions. 2011-‐2012.

Harkavy I. Hartley M. “Pursuing Franklin’s Dream: Philosophical and Historical Roots of

Service-‐Learning.” American Journal of Community Psychology. Vol 26. 2010. pp. 418-‐

427.

Maize Pages. University of Michigan. Accessed December 12, 2012.

www.maizepages.umich.edu.

McBride AM, Mlyn E. “International Service & Higher Education: Toward a Vision for the

Field” Symposium. Center for Sustainable Development at Washington University in

St. Louis. March 30-‐April 1, 2011.


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National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. United States. Wikipedia. Accessed:

December 12, 2012.

NSLC (National Service-‐learning Clearinghouse). “Best Practices in High Quality Service-‐

Learning”

Perold H, Graham LA, Mavungu EM, Cronin K, Muchemwa L, Lough BJ. “The colonial legacy

of international voluntary service.” Community Development Journal. 2012.

RMC Research Corporation and NYLC. “K-‐12 Service-‐Learning Standards for Quality

Practice. An Annotated Bibliography.” Core Contributor Billig, S. 2008.

www.nylc.org/standards.

Robinson G, Barnett L. “Best Practices in Service-‐Learning: Building a National Community

College Network, 1994-‐1997.” American Association of Community Colleges. 1998.

Ruben BD, Nolfi T. “Assessing and Improving Student Organizations: A Guide for Students.”

ACPA/NAPSA. March 2010. p. 66

Seifer SD. “Service-‐learning: community-‐campus partnerships for health professions

education.” Acad Med, 73 (1998), pp. 273-‐277

Sherraden M, Stringham J, Sow S, & McBride A. “The Forms and Structure of International

Voluntary Service.” Voluntas. 2006. p. 17

Sherrard Sherraden M. “International Civic Service: A Step Toward Cooperation in a Global

World.” In A. Moore McBride, M. W. Sherraden, & A. Etzioni, Civic Service Worldwide :

Impacts and Inquiry 2005. M.E. Sharpe, Inc. pp. 181-‐205.

Stringham J. “The legislative framework for national and international service: examples

from Europe.” Voluntary Action , 7 (2), 2005. pp. 45-‐56.


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Appendices

A: Defining Service-‐learning

Still a relatively young field, service-‐learning has already taken on a variety of variations.

This appendix includes a selection of definitions of service-‐learning from existing literature

and rationale for the definition used in this paper.

Bringle & Hatcher 2009:

“Course-‐based credit-‐bearing educational experience in which students: Participate in an

organized service activity that meets identified community needs, and reflect on service

activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader

appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of personal values and civic

responsibility.”

National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993:

“The term ‘service-‐learning’ means a method– (A) under which students or participants learn

and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service that—(i) is

conducted in and meets the needs of a community; (ii) is coordinated with an elementary

school, secondary school, institution or higher education, or community service program, and

with the community; and (iii) helps foster civic responsibility; and (B) that—(i) is

integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum of the students, or the educational

components of the community service program in which the participants are enrolled; and (ii)

provides structured time for the students or participants to reflect on the service experience.”

Seifer 1998:

“Service-‐learning is: a structured learning experience that combines community service

with preparation and reflection. Students engaged in service-‐learning provide community

service in response to community-‐identified concerns and learn about the context in which

service is provided, the connection between their service and their academic coursework, and

their roles as citizens.”


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National Society for Experiential Education 1994 (from Furco, 1996):

“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.”

Furco 1996:

“Service-‐learning programs are distinguished from other approaches to experiential

education by their intention to equally benefit the provider and the recipient of the service

as well as to ensure equal focus on both the service being provided and the learning that is

occurring.”

While service-‐learning is often associated with for-‐credit courses and faculty-‐coordinated

service partnerships. This paper recognizes the possibility of service-‐learning as an extra-‐

curricular activity, independently developed and carried out by students.

B: About the Author

I am white, United States citizen who grew up in a rural area in the Midwest with a supportive,

upper-‐middle class family, a public school education, and the opportunity to participate in

extra-‐curricular activities. I was taught to work hard, save money, and look for good deals on

high quality, name brand goods and services. By the time I was ready to go to college, my

family had helped me to save enough of my own money and apply for enough merit-‐based

scholarships to fund my education without borrowing from family or the bank. All of the merit-‐

based scholarship applications and my college application had questions about my involvement

in community service. Fortunately, my ten years as a Girl Scout had taught me that

volunteerism is “the right thing to do” so I was able to earn the respect of scholarship funders

and the University of Michigan.

A year into my college studies, I seized an opportunity to practice speaking Spanish and gain

some experience in the health field by joining a student organization that provided public

health education to a rural community in the Dominican Republic. After my first international

service-‐learning trip, I got more involved in the student organization and contributed to the

development of a new partnership with a non-‐profit organization and a rural community in

Guatemala. Following my second service-learning trip, I started to ask myself whether it was


Christie Donahue 23

ethical or effective for untrained students with no particular expertise to implement projects in

communities about which we knew very little. With this thought in mind, I committed myself to

contributing to a partnership with the Guatemalan community that was based on community-

identified needs, mutual respect, and understanding. That same year, I spent five months in

Guatemala learning about the history and social context of the country, my student

organization’s partner non-profit, and our community partner. Aiming to understand the needs

as identified by the partner community, I often felt hesitant to say things to members of the

partner community out of concern that it would be viewed as a promise or that they would

feel obligated to bring things up because I mentioned them. It briefly occurred to me that

our partner community might not need or want a group of young United States college

students to carry out community service projects but I quickly brushed that thought aside

to avoid having to make any drastic change to the partnership we had spent so long

developing.

While writing on my resume things like “Implemented water quality, hygiene, nutrition, and

agriculture modules in Guatemala and the Dominican Republic,” “Executive Board Member

and Senior Advisor,” and powerful words like “organize,” “develop,” “investigate,” and

“coordinate,” I questioned what our community partners would be writing about our

partnership.

Do other student organizations with domestic or international service projects spend time

asking the same questions? Is it ethical for me to persist carrying out international service-‐

learning projects while searching for the answer to these questions? Would I be asking

these questions if I had never volunteered in the first place?

Three years later I am finishing a Master’s degree in Social Work with a focus on community

organizing and global practice with communities and social systems. My courses and fieldwork

have allowed me to further explore my uncertainty around volunteerism and have exposed me to

social systems that contribute power, privilege, oppression, and discrimination. It is through my

own experience and my intellectual exploration of the topic of volunteerism that I have come to

challenge volunteerism’s role in neoliberal globalization.

Student-Led International Service-Learning

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Transcript of Student-Led International Service-Learning