Is a Service Requirement

IS A SERVICE REQUIREMENT

THE BEST WAY TO GO?

By Mark Cooper. Volunteer Action Centre, Chicago USA

I do not support a stand-alone graduation requirement of community service or service-learning, although I do support one form of service-learning requirement. I propose that each campus strives for a goal that a percentage of all their academic courses have a service-learning option made available for students to select voluntarily.

I feel strongly that any form of graduation requirement for community service in a school sends the wrong message. It says to students that we feel there is something deficient with them and that because we are a central power, we can fix it. It says to them that we feel they are not the kind of people we think they should be. We need to be saying that we do not believe that there is something deficient in students but something lacking in our curricula. We need to focus on a requirement for the curriculum, not on the students. That means service-learning, not just a number of community service hours or activities. The following reasons serve to highlight my opinion.

• I believe in a student’s right to choose. The school should be providing a steady momentum, a gentle nudge and a not so well-worn path for students to follow. We must not mandate a direction. We need to nurture and steer students towards the rewards of service, not hit them over the head with it.

• Requirements are bureaucratic nightmares. Our schools are filled with students balancing school, part-time work, family, sport and social commitments and not everyone can meet all the requirements of a community service program. Some cannot even complete some of the above.

• A school must be able to communicate a service ethos over time. A ‘culture’ and an anticipation of involvement should evolve gradually. However not only must a culture evolve, there must also be a strong institutional commitment before there is any talk about requirements. What’s the rush? Start small and work your way up.

• I do not concern myself with the question of why students volunteer or what their motives are. I don’t care why students volunteer for community service. The only thing that is important is what happens while they are doing the service. Students will inevitably discover new rationales, develop new ideals and discard former constructs through their service activities. And it is for this reason that the ‘learning’ component is critical to service.

• The emphasis on ‘putting in the hours’ is hazardous and deleterious to the process.

• I believe that ‘waking up’ is a process. Students, who, class after class, see their peers taking a service-learning option and hear their peers speak with passion about their experiences, will eventually think about getting involved. If not, then you will at least silence some of the vocal opponents of the program.

• Faculties need to hone their skills in facilitating service-learning and reflection. This means workshops and training. Community service is not something to tack onto an existing syllabus.