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by Joel S. Garavaglia-Maiorano
and Joel Pile
Service learning, today's buzzword for education through service, is
as diverse as are camp programs in our nation. From providing environmental
education to tutoring to feeding the homeless, it is both a method and
a philosophy. Programming for service opportunities in today's camps
offers a variety of options, from short-term experiences to a fully integrated
curriculum that links action and reflection. Service learning, therefore,
may be best understood as a method to encourage campers to act, reflect,
develop, and learn through community-organized service that connects
the needs of a community with the knowledge and experience of campers.
The Role of Service Learning in Camp Programming
Initiatives for good camp programming come from counselors and directors
who believe campers deserve the best recreational, educational, and service-related
opportunities possible. Service learning provides a promising model for
camp staff to bridge experiential education with traditional programming.
The philosophy of learning by serving creates camper-centered, experientially
guided activity within the community and brings the needs of the community
into the camp.
Camp programming objectives are met by integrating real and meaningful
community service into methods of teaching and learning. Campers explore
and learn through practical application and real-life experiences. Integrating
service into traditional camp programming addresses current concerns
about camper education such as developing social relationships, exploring
environmental issues, and understanding different cultures. With service
integration, the context of existing programs comes to life by using
real-world applications of camper-centered thoughts and concerns, often
reconnecting campers with a sense of civic responsibility.
Positive outcomes
Through careful planning, implementation, and reflection, camps will be able
to promote service-oriented educational programs. As these programs blossom,
positive outcomes will result:
- Critical thinking and inquiry skills will be used as primary tools
to examine issues.
- Counselors will become facilitators of learning, not dispensers
of information.
- Campers will learn and increase collaboration with each other.
- Active learning will replace passive instruction.
- Continuous and spontaneous reflection will occur throughout the
entire process.
- Campers will develop a sense of civic and social responsibility.
- Participants will serve and be served by their involvement.
- Campers will increase self-esteem and self-knowledge.
- Campers will develop communication, problem-solving, and social
skills.
Current Models of Learning by Serving
Today, many organizations integrate various principles of service learning
in their program curriculums. The following two organizations show examples
of how service-learning programs can impact their communities:
Troop 365 Boy Scouts of America
Troop 365 in Haysville, Kansas, created the opportunity to take the annual
Scout canned food drive and turn it into a service-learning adventure. Rather
than simply going door to door on the specified date and collecting food,
the troop prepared flyers that identified and explained the purpose of collecting
cans. This allowed area scouts to not only explain but educate others on
the immediate needs of their community. Collection day involved the collaboration
of local radio stations that broadcast the importance of the scouts' mission.
Their hard work paid off with an overwhelming response from the community.
Prior, during, and after the event, scouts were encouraged to reflect on
the event by sharing thoughts, writing in their journals, and processing
emotions.
Lakeside United Methodist Camp and Conference
Center
This camp, located next to Scott Lake State Park in western Kansas, is an example
of how a facility can be used to incorporate diverse populations and programs.
Currently, several church and civic groups visit Lakeside year-round to do
service-related projects that support the camp's mission and promote awareness
to area historical attractions. Projects have included camp and park maintenance,
erosion control, trail building, cultural awareness, team development/dynamics,
and exploring geological formations.
The local university also uses this camp to teach leadership skills
to students who learn through service. Plans are currently underway to
develop a cooperative experiential learning center between the university
and camp.
Transcending Boundaries
People most often remember 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent
of what they hear, 50 percent of what they see and hear, and 90 percent
of what they both say and do. Service-learning projects impact campers
by providing them with opportunities to develop, participate in, and
evaluate programs that link community needs with their own camp, helping
them understand the connection between learning and living. By designing
programs that apply learning through service, camps will foster positive
challenges and growth for campers that will transcend the boundaries
of the camp site and the intellects of the campers.
| References |
| Alt, M. (1991). How Effective an Educational
Tool is Student Community Service? Bulletin: Journal For Middle Level
and High School Leaders, 81(591), National Association of Secondary
School Principals. |
| Clearly, C., & Benson, D. (1998). The Service
Integration Project: Institutionalizing University Service Learning.
Journal of Experiential Education, 21(3), 124-129. |
| Garavaglia-Maiorano, J., & Pile, J. (1999).
Presentation given to university students in fall of 1999. Hays,
Kansas. |
| Giles, D., & Eyler, J. (1998). A Service
Learning Research Agenda for the Next Five Years. In R. Rhoads & J.
Howard (Eds.), Academic Service Learning: A Pedagogy of Action and
Reflection: New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 73,
65-72). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. |
| Giles, D., Hannet, E., & Magliore, S. (1991).
Research Agenda for Combining Service and Learning in the 1990's.
Raleigh, N.C.: National Society for Internships and Experiential
Education. |
| Schaefer, V. (1998). Service Learning and the
Green Links Project: A Case Study. Learning Quarterly, 2(4), 17-21. |
Originally published in the 2001 September/October
issue of Camping
Magazine.
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