For Tuesday, you will read about how community partners select service learners, and in your service learning reflections from last week, you wrote about why you chose the site you did. How do these criteria fit together? In what ways might they conflict? Do the criteria community partners use to choose you make it easier, harder, better, worse, etc. for you to find a good site? How well do the criteria the authors present match what you have seen at your site? Answer one or many or none (think of your own) of these questions before 1:30 PM on Tuesday October 12.
Oct 08
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George Goodman
October 10, 2010 at 6:24 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
In the article, organizational staff members stated that they treat the interns like staff. During my orientation at Share Our Selves, I was surprised by how friendly everyone working there was. As I was walking through, people are saying hello left and right and introducing themselves. The volunteer coordinator even introduced me to the lead doctor of the medical practice. This was nice treatment considering I hadn’t even spent one hour of my time volunteering for them yet. The other reason that student volunteers are treated similar to staff came from their expectations. The volunteer coordinator made it clear that volunteering at this site is in high demand, and she expects me to take my responsibilities here seriously. She told me that it was a lot of work but expects me to have an interesting and rewarding experience. Anyways, I assured her that I was here for the right reasons and was going to give all I can every Monday morning for the next few months.
Jennifer Madamba
October 11, 2010 at 2:31 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
That’s good! I think staff should treat volunteers like their fellow co workers. Volunteering and interning are like jobs. They require committment and sense of a professionalism. It’s a good experience and helps students prepare for the “real world”.
Stephen Mendez
October 11, 2010 at 3:03 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Reading this article empowered me to disprove its point that undergraduates lack maturity or dedication. It’s interesting to note that non-profit organization members have such a wide array of opinions regarding service-learners. There is no consensus on what to expect and much of what the group member expects is a 50-50 chance of a mediocre experience or a bad experience. The section regarding course credit appeals to us the most, as I feel that given a class such as ours that this statistic will be most certainly be untrue. The undergraduates in our class are in the minor for the reason that they have a passion for volunteering and involvement and they will not leave any job half-done.
Anthony La
October 11, 2010 at 1:31 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
This is the same point we brought up in class regarding whether mandatory service should be implemented into the curriculum in order to graduate. Albeit service should be something everyone should perform the reality is that not every student has will or maybe the time to volunteer- this leads to the students ‘who lack maturity or dedication’. Granted there are these kids, there are also others on the other side of the spectrum who have a passion for service, like for instance the students enrolled in this class or those who are working on attaining the Community and Civic engagement minor.
Alejandro Barraza
October 11, 2010 at 12:01 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
How do these criteria fit together? In what ways might they conflict?
I chose to my service hours for the YMCA, Anaheim Achieves, because of three main reasons. First, I live in Anaheim and the site that I was going to do my service hours is about five minutes away from my house. Second, I have been working with children since I was a freshman in high school so I am great with relating with children. Third, I understand how much of difference an individual like me can have on a child’s life. After, reading the article “Find the Best Fit: How Organizations Select Service Learners” I feel that I was a great fit, but a portion of my motivation to work in Anaheim Achieves conflicted with what the agency wanted.
I felt I was great fit at the Anaheim Achieves because they want individuals that will go the extra mile in all situations, and their long screening process illustrates this. For instance, before I started volunteering for the YMCA I had to begin with an check list that asked me to get finger printed through the police station in Fullerton, fill out an extensive application that asked for references, finish a website test, and go to a seminar about Anaheim Achieves is all about. I believe that all of these objectives are obstacles that are meant to prevent individuals that are not serious about volunteering to drop out. I, on the other hand, was very motivated about volunteering and making difference and this motivation helped me get through the long screening process. This is the “background check” and acceptance of “moral agreement” that “Find the Best Fit: How Organizations Select Service Learners” is referring to. Also, the fact that I had to look for the YMCA is not because that’s what the YMCA wants it is because the YMCA has a shortage of resource. In my seven months volunteering at the YMCA I have found out that there are times where employees hours are drastically cut, or people are forced to leave their position for a lower position. The YMCA is a non-profit that does not have enough resources to go out and look for volunteers.
The portion of my motivations that the YMCA hoped I did not have is the fact the one of the reasons that I am volunteering is because it is part of a monetary scholarship. I am part of the Students in Service at UC Irvine, and through Americorps after an amount of hours you get a monetary scholarship. Nevertheless, I am sure the YMCA was just happy to have me because they do not have the resources to go looking for volunteers. This idea of not having the resources or the ability to truly get dedicated volunteers goes along with the title of the article: “The Unheard Voices…” The article makes it clear that organizations love to have graduate students as their volunteers because of their maturity, but they are forced to take anybody who applies due to their situation.
Dillon Gamboa
October 11, 2010 at 2:24 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I think the criteria that is given in the reading makes it easier for me. In the past I have been trained to be more mature and formal when conducting myself with the community, but I am also easy going when working with staff. From all of that, I have always had the mindset to try to get ahead or learn things on my own so I don’t always have to ask what to do.
The standards that some non-profits hold are reasonable. I would side with them because I want to service learners or volunteers to take a more active role when choosing an organization. At the same time I kind of saw it as unreasonable to point out that undergrads are doing it for credit or they are less mature than a graduate. I think whether they are an undergrad or a grad, they still are going to do a service learning opportunity to benefit themselves regardless if it is within their major. They are still doing it to meet a goal. However, I can see why they might see it as a problem from their perspective.
Ai-Thuan Nguyen
October 11, 2010 at 4:59 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I agree with your opinion on the initiative from the students. In my opinion, if the student has the initiative to contact to program, most likely they will do whatever it takes to do a good job. I personally think that once you start something, there is no other way but to finish it.
David Moghissi
October 12, 2010 at 2:04 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Good point! Apathy is potential obstacle that can keep students from entering the field of volunteer work. If a student is passionate about a partucular issue, does the right research on how to get involved in that area, and finally reaches out to contact those in charge of a project, I feel like this individual should be given an opportunity to work. Those who take the initiative should be rewarded.
Jennifer Madamba
October 11, 2010 at 2:28 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Staff members look for volunteers that can benefit them as well as volunteers that they can help. They mostly look for volunteers that have the skill to help them, an interest in their organization, the time to help them, and the right level of maturity. Skills are an important aspect of a volunteer because it’s important to know what they can do to help and how they can help. Taking time into consideration is important also because having a volunteer that can dedicate 10 hours a week compared to a volunteer who volunteers 2 is more beneficial for the organization. Maturity is important because an individual is working in the professional field. Fooling around at work may not be tolerated. The staff members want to make sure they are hiring someone who will take the work seriously. I think an interest in the organization is important because if a person has an interest in the subject or the actual work, the more likely it is that the individual will put more time and work into volunteering. Staff members take that into consideration when hiring volunteers.
The following is an experience I would like to share. This past summer, I interned at a business law firm. The minimum amount of hours an intern is allowed to work is 10 hours. I was only willing to offer 8 because of my school and work schedule and my church activities. I explained to them that I didn’t apply to the internship for school credit and that I knew I didn’t have a lot of hours to offer like the other interns and other applicants. However, I told them my courses in school and how I became interested in legal affairs and how I really wanted to learn more about the work atmosphere as well as wanting to gain skills in this area. The manager was impressed that I was doing this in order to learn and not for school credit. I think that this was the icing on the cake for them to hire me as an intern.
A conflict in the aforementioned criteria is that maybe the volunteer can’t offer much time but is really productive and can finish a lot when they volunteer. At the site I’m working at, I only volunteer 2-3 hours a week, which is honestly not a lot of time. But I finish a lot in that amount of given time which really convinced the supervisor to have me volunteer there.
I truly agree to the statements in the reading where the author emphasizes that the volunteer program should benefit the student and the student should benefit them.
Patricia Chiu
October 11, 2010 at 4:22 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Not all of the service learning sites follow the criteria described in the reading to the tee; there is much leeway in what criteria the service learning sites can choose to follow when picking their service learners. However, I did find the reading to be useful; in fact, the criteria in the reading matched my expectations of my service learning site’s criteria. Yes, the criteria of the service learners can conflict with the criteria of the service learning site. Though, I think that the purpose of the criteria of the site is to show the service learner whether he/she would be a good match for the site. In picking my service learning site, I went in thinking that if the expectations of the site did not match or exceed my expectations, then neither I nor the site would benefit much from me working there.
In addition, I disagree with the authors of the reading in stating that professors play a huge role in making sure the student is a good fit for the organization because they know their students. To a certain extent, that is true, in that not all students know themselves well and perhaps the observer (the professor) would be the next best person to judge whether the student is a good addition to the site or not. Still, I think that the student knows his/her passions, likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses the best, and would, therefore, be able to make the judgment call on whether they should work at the site or not.
Elim Loi
October 12, 2010 at 10:26 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I agree that there is much leeway in what criteria the service learning sites can choose to follow when they pick their service learners and that criteria of the service learners can conflict with the criteria. i think each service site should choose how they want to run things and who they want to help them. it is important to see how dfiferent people work and judge when you are familiar enough with them to judge, not just by criteria. For this reason, i also disagree that professors should judge students for specific sites, because they may not know how well they will work for that organization and their work habits or strengths in the classroom may be different in a different context. Of course, if interests and expectations of students and sites seem to completely disagree, they probably will not work the best together, but you don’t really know unless they try and see how they work together. I think if students choose a specific site, they chose it for a reason and they are motivated by different reasons but should know they hold responsibility for being there to serve and help how they can.
Ai-Thuan Nguyen
October 11, 2010 at 4:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I chose Jumpstart because it is a good way to get involved and make a difference in the community. Before getting this job, I had to go through a formal interview to determine if I had the right characteristics. Jumpstart requires its members to be energetic because taking care of four kids will prove to be a challenging task. Besides that, the Corp member also have to understand the impact they will have in the kids’ lives. I had to deeply think about it and the commitment I would have to devout to this program. Even though my maturity is a point of question, I know the importance of this job. In my opinion, I am very fit for this job because my goal and dedication fits very well into this program.
Justyne Catacutan
October 11, 2010 at 6:00 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I feel that this article was very relevant to most service learning sites and their relationship with the student. I was able to relate to some of the topics mentioned. My past reflection of why I chose my site actually did conflict with the criteria of how community partners select service learners. Had I known that the service site I wanted to work with required specific experience and prerequisites, I would have decided to opt for another site instead of waiting for their approval. I do hope that my new site will offer me with a better turnout. I do understand that there does need to be some requirement relevant to the organization in relationship with the person, but I also feel that not every “lazy” volunteer is at fault every time. I feel like that if an organization and a volunteer do not necessarily have an affective relationship, it is up to both of them to figure out why. It may be that the volunteer has no interest, or that the organization is not utilizing the volunteer to the best of the volunteers. No one should just give up on someone; it is of the best interest to seek what the person’s strengths and interests are and utilize them.
Karina Venegas
October 12, 2010 at 10:16 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I agree with you about how some organizations make it hardto do servie learning or even just volunteer work with them. Sometimes organizations require certain skills and experience that some undergrads just don’t have. I think it’s just like a job, you can’t really get one because you don’t have experience and therefore getting experience is hard because not many people will give you an opportunity. Although not every organization requires experience most of the work you end up doing is bagging things or some other type of manual labor. Although I do think that these organizations are in their right to ask for people who will do a good job, I think some should consider giving people without the required experience some training because that would benefit both the student and the organization.
Nimrah Salim
October 12, 2010 at 12:25 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I completely agree. Although service learning really benefits the student in the long run, and because of that the student should be activilly keeping contact with the site they wish to volunteer at, the site itself should also do what it can in order to gain the most amount of volunteers it can. Jobs and even internships require various amount of experience in the fiels, and if volunteer services require those as well, undergrads will be less inclined to volunteer. Volunteering and service learning should not be a burden, and if the site requires too many prerequsites than it just becomes hard for students to see the benefit in their service learning.
Jessica Yen
October 11, 2010 at 6:20 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
In the article, the main criteria that many service learning sites required was a long- term commitment from volunteers, mature and preferably older college students, workers that share the same goals, and volunteers with a clear criminal background check. These criteria fit together because they encompass the ideal volunteer, one who is dedicated and serious about the organization. Although it seems that these traits can be obtained from any earnest individual, the authors point out a few reasons as to why many volunteers are not suitable for their positions. For instance, since many college students are mandated to engage in community service for a class, they are not genuinely interested in the volunteer work and so do not put much effort into the work. Also, because many college students are only required to do fifteen hours of community services, they usually leave right after the fifteen hours are fulfilled. This is saddening because the volunteer coordinators put in a lot of time and effort to meet up with the volunteer, interview the worker, and teach the student how to do their job when in the end many leave due to completed hours. Lastly, since a lot of the volunteers are freshman and sophomores in college, they are not mature enough to share the same insight as the coordinators or act appropriately in these settings. For example, the author gives an example of how many of the younger volunteers get distracted easily by their phones or their peers.
In my experience, many community partners make it difficult for people to participate in their organizations. For one, I never hear of volunteer fairs or learn about ways to get involved outside of school. Moreover, if I do find an organization that I’m interested in, I look at the requirements and get intimidated by the interviews, paperwork, and criminal background check that are mandated by a certain deadline. I think many of the community partners have very good intentions in making sure their in-coming volunteer are qualified, however, I feel that better advertising is needed and less stringent criteria should be implemented.
Cindy Arias
October 11, 2010 at 8:42 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Reading this article really opened up my eyes to what service learning sites are looking for in an intern. I am really glad that we were able to read this before we begin at our sites yet a bit dissappointed that I was not able to read this earlier for my previous iternship. I find it interesting how the qualifications for interns differ from informal sites to formal sites yet, all the sites want a high quality of work and professionalism to be established. I really hope that interning at this site I will be able to showcase characteristics that the site wants in an intern. At the same time it is a little frustrating to be held to a high standard with minimal experience. Internships are synonymous with an actual professional job which can benefit you in the future toward any career goals you might have and it is sad to see that undegraduates are given a poor view as interns in general.
Patricia Chiu
October 11, 2010 at 10:53 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
That’s okay, Cindy; just do your best. One time, I interned for an Assemblywoman at her district office. Initially, I certainly did feel the pressure to not make any mistakes. However, I soon became acclimated to this new work environment. I can look back on it now and say that it was an awesome experience. I had learned so many things on the job, and you will too.
Leslie Mendoza
October 11, 2010 at 11:42 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I agree with Cindy. I also wish I would have read this week’s reading before interviewing. It made me ponder the possibility that letting the organization know in the beginning of my message that my volunteering is to fulfill a class requirement is definitely something one shouldn’t start off with. It gives off the impression that one is solely doing it to fulfill a requirement rather than doing it for the benefit of a company. It’s one of those things of not what you say but how you say it.
In fact, I’m starting to think maybe that’s why the SOS organizer didn’t call me back , and I’m too ashamed to call them again (since also in the beginning, I thought it would be a hindrance to their work and thought it best to wait for them to call me back). The continuous calling could have represented my determination. It’s frustrating knowing this now than before.
Brenda Ramirez
October 12, 2010 at 11:37 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hi Leslie,
Even if you didn’t start off your interview with the fact that you were doing this for class credit, you would have had to state it sooner or later to get the service learning agreement signed. I think you should call back. Besides illustrating that you are determined with the continuous calling, you can also have another chance to tell them why you want to dedicate your time and energy to their organization and that they will certainly benefit from having you volunteer your time there.
Good Luck.
-Brenda
Natalie Chau
October 11, 2010 at 8:43 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
This article seems very true and relevant about service learning. The authors stated that the organizations get very frustrated when students contact them and ask for a reply urgently. When I emailed the service learning site that I was interested in, it took them a while to reply. And when the organization finally replied, the volunteer coordinator said that because I needed to get my service learning agreement signed too soon, it didn’t leave enough time for her to get to know me and therefore, she couldn’t guarantee a spot for me. And she told me that it was best for me to contact another agency/organization.
I also contacted KidWorks and the volunteer coordinator seemed very nice. It seems like the organization needed as many service learners as possible. The article mentioned that some organizations preferred undergraduates because they tend to be more enthusiastic and energetic because of the afterschool programs that they held. I realized that when I went to get my service learning agreement signed, the volunteer coordinator asked if I was available later in the day because they had many programs from 5-7.
Natasha Zubair
October 11, 2010 at 10:40 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The article states that some organizations try placing you into the program that suits your interests. This is true for when I signed up to volunteer with KidWorks. Since I have worked with junior high students before, I figured it would be a new and interesting experience to work with pre-school and elementary school kids. Luckily, these programs work with my schedule so my volunteer coordinator was able to place me according to what I had wanted. In this way, not only will the students and organization be benefiting from my being there to help out, but it will be a workshop in Education for me since I will be learning and doing something I’ve never tried before. It’s true that human beings perform better when it comes to something they care about and are interested in so I think that allowing volunteers the freedom to choose which activities they will be participating in while at the service learning site is a great idea on the organization’s part.
Alexis Utanes
October 11, 2010 at 11:34 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The criteria community partners use to choose service learners make it better to find a good site. Organizations “prefer those students who are interested in gaining general experience in the field, exploring “new passions” and possible career paths, and developing personal skills. They appreciate those students who want to learn about people that are different than them and care about hour community.” This is very similar to what I wrote last week about why I chose Share Our Selves. A majority of my time at UCI was dedicated to deciding what I was ultimately going to do with my life. After finally declaring a major in Public Health fairly recently as I enter my Senior year, I would really like to explore the health disparities in my local community so I could some how improve them in the future. I hope the site will recognize my genuine passion to help out the organization as a positive contribution. I also want to develop personal skills—including communicating with different clients, administrative tasks, and acquiring experience in a healthcare type setting.
Jennifer Lazaro
October 11, 2010 at 11:38 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Allowing students to come into an organization to volunteer is a risky choice, especially if it’s through a class. Last week we talked about the possibility of making service learning a requirement for undergrad, and how that would affect the student and organizations. After reading the article and learning more about what it takes to make a good fit, I concluded that it should not be a requirement. The article pointed out what every organization looks for, which includes making contact, selecting a place, characteristics of the student and the roles. For the most part, any student can become a volunteer, and volunteers are always welcomed but the main reason why I believe that it should not be a requirement is because of the characteristics that the organization looks for and the expectations.
In the article it mentions how hard it is to work with undergrad students, due to the uncertainty of their future and the level of maturity that they have. When undergrad students start their freshman year, the first couple of classes they take are general classes. If service learning becomes a requirement, chances are that this requirement will be fulfilled their first year. That means that recent high school graduates would be sent to represent our school at professional and possibly highly respected locations. This may be a problem with some service learning sites due to their negative experience of working with them already. The article mentions that when students are forced to do service learning through a class their lack of motivation and commitment becomes an issue, therefore leaving the student and the school looking bad. On the contrary, the article also mentions that there are situations where undergrad students are a better fit than any other student. This all depends on the organization. For example, undergrad students are a perfect fit for working with schools because the students are seen as cool. Although there are many programs with a range of requirements, there are also a limited amount of spots available. It is important to know our own weakness and strengths and base our site on what we enjoy and choose a place where their expectations are similar to ours; and if there is a site that seems like a perfect fit, it’s also important to make contact as soon as possible for a guaranteed spot. There are many things to consider when choosing a site, it is not an easy process and it would benefit the program if only students who share the same expectations volunteered. Eventually, when forced, all this planning doesn’t really take place and that can have a negative impact. Overall, all these requirements make a service that is enjoyed by many tedious for those that just do it to comply with the school and therefore it should not be mandatory.
Symone Magsombol
October 12, 2010 at 1:09 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
After reading this week’s article, and comparing the regulations and requirements from my service learning site, I think the criteria for someone to really find their perfect fit for an organization is to really make sure that they can make the commitment and give their best effort to volunteer. I agree with what the article said about how some volunteers sometimes seem unmotivated and unenthusiastic during their volunteer time, however it is also because maybe the volunteers are not given the opportunity to use skills to their full potential. For instance, I can relate to this point with my service learning site volunteering at the UCI Medical Center in the Emergency Department. After reading the training guidelines in my volunteer handbook, unfortunately I am unable to perform many tasks that go beyond my basic level of training as a volunteer. Of course, this is understandably since I am volunteering in a place where high professionalism and expertise are a must since my site takes place in the Emergency Department where lives can be at stake. Regardless, I am still satisfied to be given the opportunity to volunteer at a hospital where my small efforts as a volunteer role can contribute to the overall recovery of a patient – whether that is to assist doctors and medical staff, or comfort a patient in bed. Since my site is primarily in a hospital setting, there are strict regulations in order to become a volunteer in a specific department. Some of these include: 35 hour requirement to perform clerical / administrative work around the hospital, receive proper vaccination clearances, commitment to a minimum of 100 hours through your time as an affiliated volunteer through UCI Medical Center, and maintain specific time shift throughout the week. Since the UCI Medical Center upholds these high standards, volunteers are considered employees, however more categorized as “non-paid employees.” I have a name badge with my picture on it, and attached a card of the different hospital color codes for high breach situations like fires or heart-attacks.
Overall, my point is that in order to volunteer in a site that you really want to participate in, you must make sure that you are committed to their regulations and policies. Of course, this always depends on the type of organization and level of professionalism a site upholds, but I feel it is to one’s benefit to really volunteer in an organization that they will find fulfilling and rewarding in the end, regardless of what requirements must be met in order to participate as a volunteer. For me, even though UCI Medical Center does have strict regulations, I feel I will value my time being a volunteer there knowing that my work can make a bigger impact to help others when they need it the most Emergency Department.
krystin uyema
October 12, 2010 at 1:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The article states that organizations recruit volunteers by talking with classes and/or professors of different classes. I found out about this site through Key Club in high school. This was one of their service learning sites offered. Last week I went to the elementary school where I met the program director and many teachers who were all extremely friendly and welcoming to have me there. The article says they treat their volunteers as staff, but when I left the school I didn’t feel like just a “staff member,” I felt like a part of the program already because of the warm welcome and enthusiasm I felt. I was and am so excited to start volunteering there because of how friendly and approachable the others there are. I think the more comfortable you are at a service learning site, the more you as an individual will do better service for an organization. One teacher noted that she is excited for me to start volunteering there because I am young and could probably have a better connection to the students. The article says younger people are preferred because they are “more hip” and are often times more enthusiastic. I agree with the statement because I remember in elementary school when older students would tutor or just visit I immediately became more interested in whatever it was they were there for.
Wendy Salazar
October 12, 2010 at 2:01 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Reading this article, really got me thinking about the other side’s perspective. Up to this point, I focused on the student’s point of view and needs. Personally, I chose my site because I wanted to gain more experience working with high school students since it relates to my career goals. However, I can now understand and agree with some of the points the authors made. For example, I strongly believe that there has to be a good fit between the student’s needs as well as those of the organization/agency. The student must be able to gain something from the service-learning experience as well as give back. My site was able to determine this through an orientation-style interview. Not only was my supervisor able to learn more about me and my interests, but also give me more information about the organization and the program’s mission. She believed I would benefit, but most importantly so would the students. I think interviews are extremely necessary. Yes, the help is be free, but what if that person is not committed, passionate, and responsible? At times, not all help is helpful.
Diana Garcia
October 12, 2010 at 2:50 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
The information given in the reading fits together because I first got an email from them last year to apply and I then saw their booth during welcome week and got more information. Being part of a college fair is really how most organizations get their name out and attract volunteers. I personally am opposed to the idea that many sites prefer service learners that are junior, seniors or grad students because undergraduates are too immature for the position. I have always been told that people are impressed by professionalism and would not like to be categorized as not worthy of participating in service learning because a few people did not have it in their best interest. However, I do agree that there are some students that are so concerned about meeting the required hours that they do not take the time to invest themselves in the organization but are just counting down till they are done. It should not be like that, service learning is an opportunity to looking into a company and see if that is something one could see a future in. I also think it helps when the site one works at is one that has personal interest. I decided to work with Jumpstart because education is very important to me and would like a make a change no matter if it is just inspiring one child to dream big.
Andre Navarro
October 12, 2010 at 6:09 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I never really thought about why there would be an application and an interview for a volunteer opportunity but after reading this passage it does make sense. I think it’s kind of a good thing to for the community partners to judge undergraduates harshly. I do think there are those people out there who legitimately want to help the community and would give more time than necessary; however, I also understand that there are a lot of people (undergraduates) still needing a way to “stand-out” from others applying to postgraduate schools. I think that this must happened more often than not, especially if these community partners have stated that they look for graduate students who are already established in their careers. It just seems like a good idea for the community partners to watch out for themselves because ultimately they are working with limited resources and cannot afford someone wasting their time.
Kellie St. Pierre
October 12, 2010 at 10:48 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Creative Connections, the service site I am working at relates very much to the section in the reading, “making the first contact.” For me, it was actually quite fortunate in the fact that the director of Creative Connections supports very much the arts (and because I am a studying artist-dance major) she had attending many events and performances that I had participated in. I should also mention that one of my best friends was involved at Creative Connections as well. However, the two of us shared our passion with the director and she immediately scoped out a position in Creative Connections that she thought I would serve well in. So in my case, the “professor” role used my interest and contacted a specific school site in which she thought I would do well in, and recommended me for the position I now will be serving!
Christine Thrasher
October 12, 2010 at 11:22 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Non-profit organizations are caught in a bind when it comes to placing service learners from a university. On the one hand, they can be very good workers and helpful to the organization, but on the other hand, they may lack commitment and maturity. It is difficult for the organization to gauge which is the case at first look, so they have to take risks in placing and training volunteers. They are interested in helping students learn about service and their particular cause, but wary of placing someone who will not have enough commitment. Another issue is the amount of time these volunteers are willing to commit. In my case, the AIDS Services Foundation was interested in placing me, but decided not to when I told them I would only be volunteering for about 15 hours. They said that it was not worth the effort to train me for such a small amount of time. In short, non-profits do consider the student’s interests when they try to place them, but they must prioritize their own interests foremost, as they only have a limited amount of funding and resources.
Brenda Ramirez
October 12, 2010 at 11:45 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I really like that the sequence of our readings.
As for today’s reading, I disliked how service learning sites generally categorize students by graduate and undergraduate. I am an older student and I worked in a professional environment for six years. I really really dislike being associated with immaturity and lack of experience. This is not to say that other undergrads are this way. However, I guess I can understand why they group students under this criterion given a service learning sites’ limited resources. Although I disliked the generalizing, the article opened my eyes a little more to the frustrations and hardships of finding qualified volunteers on limited resources. It is a lot more difficult than I had assumed
I think the topic we covered in class last week about voluntary work as a mandatory requirement really reflects why volunteers should really give their time because they want to and not because they have to.
-Brenda Ramirez
Kevin J. Son
October 12, 2010 at 11:48 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
In the reading, How organizations select service learners it says that
organizations expect undergraduates to be mature in the working environment and undergrads who are interested in the service. My service learning site, Share Our Selves in my opinion were so welcoming and didn’t judge the students who came in to get an interview for a volunteering position. When George and I went to go in for our interviews we met the coordinator and she treated us like any other staff member and that helped us feel comfortable in our surroundings. We were introduced to the entire staff members and they were all so welcoming when we got the tour of the facility. I really felt like I have been at the service site for couple of years already by the way the environment was treating me. Few things that the coordinator wanted from George and I was to be respectful and responsible. She wanted us to be on time to work and enjoy the experience. I loved the way the coordinator announced her expectations to us because it was manageable and I knew that this was the experience that will change my life. I was determined to work hard and help this organization reach higher success. George and I let the coordinator know that we were going to work hard and that she can trust us with anything that she gives us. The past Monday (10/11) was our first day volunteering at Share Our Selves and I worked the food line. I was extremely shocked how nice and helpful everyone was on the line. I definitely know that I will continue my volunteer service at this site even after my hours are completed.
Nicole Fulbright
October 12, 2010 at 11:52 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I skimmed some other students’ reading reflections, and it seems like people are really excited and ready for the challenge of working on our service learning sites. While others are eager to disprove the negative notions about undergraduate students that were cited in this article, I am much more nervous about going to my site now. I have not met with my site yet, I have my meeting this thursday, and now I am really nervous and worried about what they are going to say or think of me. One thing I remember from the article is from the section about how graduate students are so much more mature and professional than undergraduates. Someone from an organization said that graduate students are preferable because they are serious about their dedication to the site, giving 12 to 15 hours a week and over a longer period of time. I don’t know about the other students in this class, but personally, there is absolutely no way that i would be able to give that much time in one week. Between struggling classes, a job and somewhat of a social life, college is time consuming and hard. So I guess my main concern is that they will look down on me because I’m not able to give such a huge commitment. But like other students said, I actually am really excited to get to my site and start working because I honestly don’t think that I am immature or lazy like the article made us lower level, undergraduates appear to be. However, I agree with the article in that non-profit organizations have very limited resources and are looking for people who will mutually benefit the organization and the site. I do not look on this lightly and plan on doing everything in my power to make sure i am a positive presence at my site.
Noelia
October 12, 2010 at 1:23 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
It has been said that in order to predict future behavior one must look at past behavior. As an older student I can relate to Nicole’s concern about being seen negatively by service sites. As with most things in life there are the negatives and positives. I think this is an opportunity to show that we do have maturity and responsibility regardless of our age. We may not be able to dedicate as much time as some would like however, the time we do spend must shatter negative expectations (if there are any) in hopes that our positive will overshadow the negative.
Gaurav Nihalani
October 12, 2010 at 12:34 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Doing the beach clean up was a no brainer for me. I have always been a beach boy since growing up in the Caribbean and now living in Newport Beach for the past 3 years. I feel that it is necessary to keep your surroundings clean and your environment healthy. The article we read seems to question the maturity and the work ethic of students like us when taking on these tasks but it also lacks the knowledge that most of us if not all do these services for a reason. Many of us have strong feelings behind why we choose to do service and especially the specific service we choose to do. I feel it is quite irrational that someone should be more qualified to do a service rather than passionate. In my eyes the passionate yet under-qualified person is a better fit for the job then the qualified yet careless professional.
Nirav Bhardwaj
October 12, 2010 at 12:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I believe the way community partners select service learners is similar to the way service learners select their community partners. When I selected Kidworks, I knew I wanted to work with kids coming from unfortunate backgrounds because at one point in time I experienced the same situation and that is what makes me passionate about it. At the same time when community partners are looking for service learners they are not just looking for a body to come in a fill a role. They are looking for someone who is passionate and caring; someone who truly wants to play a role in furthering the organizations collective goal. I feel at the end of the day it is a mutual understanding and a mutual respect for each other which creates a perfect fit between a community partner and a service learner.
Rachel Berman
October 12, 2010 at 12:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Reading the article and the responses I realize that I am very fortunate in my situation that a selection process is required and in the Creative Connections program we are sent to various schools with the title of “scholars”. The scholarship already gives some credibility and even when I don’t feel qualified for a job or ready to take on such responsibility there is already a trust and ease among the teachers that I have been selected to work for them. Working with teachers and in education is already a nurturing environment for service learning because their main focus is already on learning. The teachers and students are excited about this exchange, so I am able to come in knowing that I will learn all sorts of things from the community and hope that they find my lessons beneficial in their efforts.
Omeid Heidari
October 12, 2010 at 1:00 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I feel the criteria of the service site when it comes to taking volunteers is very fair. For the most part, they require an application process and between one to two interviews (the latter being an orientation style). This allows for the organization to properly pick out volunteers genuinely committed to their position and would learn from the organization. When I was picking out my service site, I wanted it to be in the area I want to focus my career, making sure that the site would be a place I could learn from. This way I could connect with the organization and they would see my enthusiasm for the organization. I feel this is a fair way to pick volunteer, and while it would make volunteering for some organizations a bit harder, it does turn the idea of community service into a learning experience
Dulshani BalasuriyaArachchi
October 12, 2010 at 1:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
I agree with the criteria used by nonprofit organizations to choose and place student volunteers in their organization. I think discussing about student’s major, course work, skills, experiences, and more importantly their interests is useful and necessary. This gives the organization a better idea of whether they should accept the student. Also if accepted where to place them so that both parties will benefit. If the student was placed in a site that doesn’t interest them they will lose interest and there will be no motivation to carry out the activities. It will be a waste of time and energy. However, I don’t agree with the statement that graduate students are preferred over undergraduate students by organizations. I understand that graduate students are more mature and experienced but undergraduate students are capable of performing the same way. The undergraduate students are the once who will become graduate students in the future. So if they are not given chances to learn, understand, and practice the importance of service learning now they will not have the proper understanding as graduate student as well.
Amy Sage
October 12, 2010 at 1:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Having an application and interview process seems to make volunteering a little harder, but after the reading I can see the point of the non-profit programs having criteria for the volunteers to meet. Interviewing an individual as well as having an application filled out gives the organization an important idea of the type of person you are, and a better idea of what contributions you have that you could possibly bring to the program. I would hope that organizations are happy to take on volunteers, but I agree with Dulshani about organizations sometimes preferring to pick graduate student over undergraduates. I think if someone’s heart is truly in the spirit of volunteering and service learning, they are already showing a sense of maturation. I feel many undergraduates are very mature and ready to help in anyway possible, and we usually have more free time available.
Hyun Joo Lee
October 12, 2010 at 1:27 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
learning reflections from last week, you wrote about why you chose the site you did.
I learned a lot of interesting facts from the reading on how staff members of an organization select volunteers. For example, I learned that community service agencies prefer to work with graduate or advanced undergraduate students for various reasons such as more maturity, easier to give critical feedback to, and more. It was also interesting to know that while some organizations are accepting of any volunteer because they need as many as they can get, there were also organizations who were more selective because they found that if they have too many volunteers, there will be those who will slack off from a possible lack of feeling direct responsibility. Organizations also looked for students who had foreign language skills (example: Spanish) other than in English, and if not, they looked for students who experienced different cultures by studying abroad or more because a lot of the individuals volunteers work with might not be perfectly as fluent in English. It was very important to have clear, defined goals so that both the organization and volunteer receive what they need/want out of the experience. The article gave me a much more clear idea on what the agency might expect out of me and how I can be a benefit to the agency by serving their needs. I think that the criteria make it easier for me to find a good site because I am in my fourth year of college with various experiences already which helped me develop my maturity level, and I am fluent in Korean and English.
David Moghissi
October 12, 2010 at 2:18 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
SImply stated, potential volunteers must have the right perspective in order to do their job correctly. Many managers at the sites we work at expect their volunteers to be mature, dedicated, and responsible. In many cases, volunteer work is not a short-term project and volunteers are often expected to put in around 6-8 hours a week at their sites.
At my site, the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, volunteers must understand the gravity of this organizations mission. Those who come to the LASOC for help expect those who work there to come through and give 100% of their effort. Volunteers (especially those who are students) must be ready to dedicate the right amount of energy to the causes they have decided to work with. Motivation is key. Volunteer work must be undertaken in the correct manner.