Marjorie's Reflections

Hihi, so here I go!

Service Learning (SL) – Service: meeting real community needs. Learning: self development of youth. Essentially, for me, SL is experiential learning. It is a learning and teaching approach to develop youths i.e. myself, both intellectually and civically through the experience of serving a community.

SL brings participants out into the real world which they have been shied away and protected from in school and being a participant-led and driven project, the participants are supposed to address the identified needs of the community. Because of that, I think that all the more SL should be an integral part of a student’s life.

Dr Gan mentioned that students these days are achieving greater academic heights but yet they are struggling to link learning with life. I think that is very true. Upon reflection, I realise that it was as if she was describing me. I spend most of my time in school on academia and cca, I hardly ever give back to society and sometimes I also find myself wondering why I'm studying so much when they might all be refuted several years done the road (like science haha) and I might not even use them when I grow older etc.

SL makes the participant to think about current and relevant issues affecting organisations and inspires them to do something for society. I believe that understanding the society one lives in helps one to better evaluate her role in society because on being exposed to the complex and plural real world, the student is inevitably forced to evaluate hers civic responsibilities and what she has contributed to her society in the past. Before I went to SEC, I always thought that Green campaigns and Green activists were overly enthusiastic and were just making a big fuss over a small problem which could be solved easily. Now that I'm in their shoes, I know how difficult it really is.

Anyways, for all these to happen and learning to be most effective, I believe one's commitment and engagement is most imperative in the service experience. To quote Dr Gan, of what use is head without heart? Of what use is heart without hands? Of what use are hands without head and heart? Without feeling for and understanding the community being helped, one will just be blindly performing more hours of community service and failing to understand the nature and causes of needs. That is definitely, not SL and unquestionably, that is not the kind of SL I want to carry out.

During Dr Gan's talk, I remember she said something about not doing what you wanted to do but rather to do something that would truly benefit the organisation. I think that is very true.

Well, now for refections regarding SEC visit on the 16th of Jan. I actually went to SEC with plans and ideas in mind. I wanted to propose something gradious and huge in scale. Either I was too idealistic or it was my ego at work or something.

Come to think of it, a small scaled plan has no reason not to work as well as a huge scaled one (which will most probably be more difficult to plan anyway). Also, this is our first SL project and we don't have much manpower (7-person group + mentor), so I think it would be better to start small. Also, all of us have our own commitments and schedules, It wouldn't be easy to manage everything.

Anyways, after the SEC visit, I had the impression that Joe, who has experience with SL projects, would rather have us working with a project which we can manage and handle. He gave us many suggestions eg: for your HDB estate, in your school canteen, in your school Environmental Soc/ Outdoor Activities Club, in a school near your school; and I feel that they all have something in common, do something within your reach, which you can handle.

Regardless, even if we only manage to influence maybe say 3 clinics, i would still feel that it is a good start, a good job done. After that maybe we can extend our project and apply for all sorts of grants etc haha.

I was also quite surprised to hear from Joe that Recycling is not green. I learnt that there is a reason behind the way the 3Rs are placed, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Reducing is the greenest, followed by reuse and then recycle. We probably use much more energy just to bleach some recycled paper white haha.

On another note, I think all of you have been very cooperative and supportive and I really thank you all for making my life easier. Happy Valentine's Day :)