Service to Society: Douglas Adams (1950 – 2001), anEnglish writer, hum...

Service to Society: Douglas Adams (1950 – 2001), anEnglish writer, hum...: Douglas Adams (1950 – 2001), an English writer, humorist and dramatist reasoned that“to give real service you must add something which cann...

Douglas Adams (1950 – 2001), an English writer, humorist and dramatist reasoned that“to give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” Service-learning must therefore have in common these two attributes. The National and Community Service Act of 1990 showed that what persons learned in and beyond the classroom must foster the development for caring for others. These characteristics will be noticeable in individuals with caring spirits:

Persons will learn and develop through active participation by organized service experiences that meet community needs.

Service projects will integrate participants' academic curricula by providing structured time for thinking, talking and writing concerning what they are doing and seeing during service activities.

Activists will have opportunities to use their newly acquired skills and knowledge in real life situations in their communities.

There will be enhancement of what was taught in a classroom situations, through learning beyond the classroom, and the community in helping to foster the development of the sense of caring for others.

These are vital contributions by which persons willing help their communities.

Life as Experiences

Henry Ford (1863 – 1947), an American industrialist and the founder of Ford Motor Company noted that “life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure, help us in our marching onward.” It's by joining forces with our communities and building viable structures we'll be helping pave the way to achieve new realities. According to Andrew Furco in Service-Learning: A Balance Approach to Experiential Education, such learning wasn't the following:

Volunteerism … where the primary interest was on the service being provided and the intended beneficiary was clearly the recipients.

Community Service … where the primary focus was on the service being provided as well as the benefits that such activities brought on the recipients. Participants will receive benefits by learning more about how their services will make a difference.

Internships … generally engaged individuals in activities primarily for the purpose of providing hands-on experiences while enhancing their learning or understanding of issues to particular areas of studies.

Field Education … which provided co-curricular service opportunities that will be related, but not fully integrated with their formal goals. Persons generally perform such services as part of a program designed to enhance their understanding of field studies. These orientations provide emphasis on the services provided.

Every service helps and these are also necessary for building our communities and their contributors.

Quality Service

George Washington (1732 – 1799), the first President of the United States and the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War advised us to “associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company.” The meeting of similar minded people bent on service to their communities will result in greater understanding of our communities. But there may be problems that may threaten to impede such progress.

Important though is adequate funding by Federal, State and private corporations for community projects. Another issue is documenting the progress made during these undertakings. Nowadays, there are miniature digital video cameras with cassettes that are capable of producing high quality pictures and programs of such projects. Then there has to be the necessary delivery systems that have to be in place for participants to bring their work to the attention of the public. Much of this can be done through participating TV and cable channels, the Internet, local press and publications by the participation of different dioceses. It's imperative that all parties - secular and non secular alike, become linkages in symbiotic ways. If strong bonds for communal advancement don't presently exist, over time they will grow and develop. With progress these entities of service-learning will lead to greater social, cultural, spiritual and communal growth.