Service Learning Assignment: Houston Food Bank Volunteer Day
Service Learning, volunteerism and community service are similar acts of service, but they are certain characteristics that distinguish the three as well. Service-learning involves students in community service activities and applies the experience to personal and academic development. Service-learning course objectives are linked to real community needs that are designed in cooperation with community partners and service recipients. Service-learning engages students in a three-part process: classroom preparation through explanation and analysis of theories and ideas; service activity that emerges from and informs classroom context; and structured reflection tying service experience back to specific learning goals. Volunteerism is any activity that involves spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone (individuals or groups) other than, or in addition to, close relatives. Central to this definition is the fact that volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual. This can include formal activity undertaken through public, private and voluntary organizations as well as informal community participation. Community service is services volunteered by individuals or an organization to benefit a community or its institutions.
The terms are similar because they are all benefiting an individual and ultimately an entire community. Also, each method is a learning experience, whether it is learning people skills, work experience, or learning experience that changes how they view themselves and others. The terms also have differences that distinguish them. Service learning is an educational approach, connecting a classroom experience with real life experiences. Volunteerism is a more flexible choice because you choose where and when you want to volunteer and it