What? So What? Now What?

How can you educate others or raise awareness about this group or social issue?

I think a great way to share about things like this group is simply by sharing about our experience with our peers. By having a conversation with a kid you sit next to in class that starts with something based off of organizations you can educate people about SERVE. I also think that another great way to let people know about various things is by sharing your experiences even if it is as simple as telling someone about the service activity you attended over the weekend you can inspire others to get out and do good also. With simple sharing of our experiences we can educate those around us about various issues and topics.

1. Do you see benefits of doing community service, why or why not?

I definitely believe that there are both positives and negatives exist in doing community service. I think one main negative is that with a lot of community service projects a short term fix is provided or not as beneficial of a fix is provided because we ourselves are trying to make the fix rather than giving members of the community the tools to solve the problem which could be more beneficial. Overall however I do believe that the positives in community service outweigh the negatives as we ultimately are able to make a change for the better in our community or the communities around us that we serve in.

1. What institutional structures are in place at your site or in the community? How do they affect the people you work with?

One institutional structure in place back in Gaithersburg, MD that I always remember is a county run women’s shelter. As another way to stay involved in the community my church has always been big with doing service through this shelter and every Christmas season my church gets a rotation of volunteers going to make sure that the shelter always has donated meals for the season. I remember from a young age going with my family to prepare a meal and then eating with the residents of the shelter and being able share some goodwill to the residents of the shelter. I think that this institution and ones like it do a great job at giving people something to look forward to and feel hopeful about at a time in their lives where everything might feel a bit out of place.

1. What did you do that seemed to be effective or ineffective in the community?

I think one of the most effective service activities I have partaken in in my community at home the through the organization Rebuilding Together Montgomery County, where once a year my church would partner with this organization to spend a day making repairs to the home of someone in need throughout the county. Over my years participating with this organization I met people who lived less than mile from me struggling to pay bills and provide for their kids. Though it was only a daylong activity every year I was always astounded with the turnout from my church of people eager to work to improve the lives of those in their community and the actual work that got done as I watched lawns transform and houses get fresh coats of paint that were probably many years overdue.

1. What are the most difficult or satisfying parts of your work? Why?

I think one of the most difficult parts of some of the work that I have done is saying goodbye to people that I have made connections with at the end of trips. Two of the most memorable trips I have been on were my trip to Guatemala two summers ago and my trip to Harrisburg, PA this past summer with the organization Youthworks. In both trips I worked with a kids camp where the kids from generally broken families looked up to us as role models and in a sense latched on to us. At the end of each of these trips I found it very difficult to let go as it felt as all the god we were doing for these kids in making connections with them and showing them kindness was going to waste.

1. How are your values expressed through your community work?

I think that values are often expressed through actions and that your actions speak louder than your words. I think one main value I express through service is that of trying to improve the lives of other in any way that we can. While a lot of service activities may focus on helping others in big picture ways rather than finding small ways to help in our everyday lives I believe that through the big picture service activities we are reminded of values like these that we try to hold in our everyday lives and this helps us to strive towards them.

1. Complete this sentence: Because of my service learning I am...

A more mature and educated person. I think that my service learning experiences have helped me grow into a more mature individual as I have had experience meeting people from different walks of life that most people my age would not have the pleasure of crossing paths with. I also believe that my experiences in service learning have made me more educated in a wide variety of areas. I think that I have learned a number of practical skills such as how to mix cement by hand while also learning a great deal about community and how people find ways to work together and help one another through tough times.