My Service Learning Experiences

What connections do you make between your service-learning experiences and some of the themes addressed in class (justice, love, rights, responsibility, relationships, etc.)?

There were several connections made between my service learning experiences and themes addressed in class. Some of the connections were about human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity and equity. My service learning took place in a nursing home and the applicability of human dignity became abundantly clear. Teachings of solidarity and equity were directly exemplified. Social ties hold people together and are able to support the people who don’t have the power to help themselves. Subsidiarity is also a relevant issue; decisions for helping the elderly is best when done on the lowest level—the people who directly work with the elderly and know what troubles faces them.

What impact do you think your service has had?

My job was mainly assisting activity coordinators. As an extra set of hands, intermediate tasks were taken care of much quicker. The impact it had was chiefly that the residents were able to enjoy the activities and had to spend less time waiting for assistance. Many residents seemed generally appreciative simply by having a new face helping them out.

What was the most unsettling experience you had while serving?

Interacting with people who are unable to manage the activities of daily living in their own home hadn’t been an everyday experience for me. Understanding their needs could be adequately done in a classroom, but actually experiencing firsthand their situation gives a much more explicit and real understanding. The aspect of my experience that I found most unsettling was the meagerness of understanding when learning i...

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...r enforce those teaching in class. Class lessons are very good in giving you a lot of information and putting it into context. Experiencing and trying to apply those teachings in real life is what really makes it stick.

The combination of class and service learning provided a solid foundation on which to be a morally responsible leader. During class, all sorts of ideas are brought up and discussed as a group and critically analyzing from different perspectives and relating it to other ideas. This enables the students rectify their own beliefs and morals in constructive ways. From these developments, we begin to see how it fits in the world and try to apply ourselves and gain wisdom. Gaining knowledge, experience and wisdom, it becomes our understanding to find good in any aspect of our lives and work towards advancing that good in a way that benefits all.