Ensuring reciprocity towards meaningful partnerships : the USLS service-learning experience
Location
MD203, Paul Cardinal Shen Medical Building, Fu Jen University
Start Date
29-5-2015 1:30 PM
End Date
29-5-2015 2:40 PM
Description
The University of Saint La Salle defined its Expected Lasallian Graduate Attributes (ELGA) and one of these is to develop students to become socially responsible Christians or persons. The Christian Service-Learning Program (CSLP) is seen as one major avenue to form students toward this goal. Furthermore, the University is working to have all 33 academic programs engaged in service -learning to ensure that all students would have that community experience before they graduate.
The service-learning engagements of the university involve its Balayan Social Development Office to ensure that community preparations are done well and reciprocity is achieved. It initiates and facilitates various processes in every service learning journey. Through Balayan, the university's engagement in general has a development perspective and approach given its rich experience in development work. Community organizing and development principles are always considered in doing service -learning. Community needs are looked into as well as their capacities, resources and expectations so that our service-learning activities can be direct interventions to the problems identified. With these, a strong linkage is established with community organizations, local government units and non -government organizations that exist in the area.
On the other hand, the students are also being prepared well for their engagement with the same orientation on the principles of development including how they should conduct themselves in the community to ensure that their presence is indeed helpful and effect-liberating. The faculty SL implementers are likewise prepared through a Professional Learning Community (PLC) which is a venue of continuous sharing and discussions on the principles of service learning, actual experiences in the community and how to improve on their practices.
This approach makes USLS' SL engagement meaningful not only for the students but for the community as well which was articulated by one of the students in her reflection saying that "Through service learning, I am now able to value much my education so that I could be of service to others."
Recommended Citation
Tabujara, D. I. (2015, May). Ensuring reciprocity towards meaningful partnerships: The USLS service-learning experience. Paper presented at the 5th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning: Love Journey: Community Engagement through Service-Learning, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan.
Ensuring reciprocity towards meaningful partnerships : the USLS service-learning experience
MD203, Paul Cardinal Shen Medical Building, Fu Jen University
The University of Saint La Salle defined its Expected Lasallian Graduate Attributes (ELGA) and one of these is to develop students to become socially responsible Christians or persons. The Christian Service-Learning Program (CSLP) is seen as one major avenue to form students toward this goal. Furthermore, the University is working to have all 33 academic programs engaged in service -learning to ensure that all students would have that community experience before they graduate.
The service-learning engagements of the university involve its Balayan Social Development Office to ensure that community preparations are done well and reciprocity is achieved. It initiates and facilitates various processes in every service learning journey. Through Balayan, the university's engagement in general has a development perspective and approach given its rich experience in development work. Community organizing and development principles are always considered in doing service -learning. Community needs are looked into as well as their capacities, resources and expectations so that our service-learning activities can be direct interventions to the problems identified. With these, a strong linkage is established with community organizations, local government units and non -government organizations that exist in the area.
On the other hand, the students are also being prepared well for their engagement with the same orientation on the principles of development including how they should conduct themselves in the community to ensure that their presence is indeed helpful and effect-liberating. The faculty SL implementers are likewise prepared through a Professional Learning Community (PLC) which is a venue of continuous sharing and discussions on the principles of service learning, actual experiences in the community and how to improve on their practices.
This approach makes USLS' SL engagement meaningful not only for the students but for the community as well which was articulated by one of the students in her reflection saying that "Through service learning, I am now able to value much my education so that I could be of service to others."