As a preface to next week\u2019s reflection on volunteering, I am going to talk about my experiences with service-learning. My introduction to service-learning was on a spring break trip with The SEEDS Project (Students Engaging and Enacting a Dialogue on Service) to southern Louisiana. During the trip I enjoyed engaging in discussions with other members and locals on various intertwined social justice issues. I met a former chief of the United Houma Nation, a Native American tribe fighting for federal recognition after hundreds of years of systematic oppression. I talked to a doctor who treated patients afflicted with health issues associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. I worked with leaders of Our School at Blair Grocery (http:\/\/schoolatblairgrocery.blogspot.com\/), an alternative school and urban farm in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans that aims to help struggling youth while combating local food shortages.<\/p>\n
It was hard not to feel overwhelmed and helpless after being immersed in such complicated issues. I was left with a sense of longing for greater purpose and searching for the meaning of service-learning. I realized that service-learning goes beyond helping people in need. It involves an openness of heart and mind that allows us to form a relationship with and be changed by those we serve. There are several aspects to service learning. Building relationships with the communities we serve is just as important as building a new house or weeding a garden. A service-learning perspective will help us navigate our continued quest for knowledge about the physical and human geography of the James River watershed. If we see the environment as a community in need, we can better see how forming a relationship with the land around us will allow us to serve it better.<\/p>\n
I recently learned some startling facts about water and energy: It takes 150 gallons of water to produce one newspaper; 1,000 gallons for one quart of orange juice, 2,500 gallons for one pound of beef, and 40,000 gallons of water to produce 1 new car. It has been estimated that current annual world energy consumption is equal to what it took about 1 million years to produce naturally. Yikes! I am motivated by both these facts and by the simple beauty around me to be a steward to my community and the environment through service-learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a preface to next week\u2019s reflection on volunteering, I am going to talk about my experiences with service-learning. My introduction to service-learning was on a spring break trip with The SEEDS Project (Students Engaging and Enacting a Dialogue on … Continue reading