This reading was lengthy! The wordiness and all of it to simply reiterate the fact that service learning benefits both ways. I have always been a proponent and advocate that the hands-on take in anything is often the most effective. Although this was a lengthy and wordy read, every single word in it had validity and truth behind it. So it was a definite worthy lengthy and wordy read to have read.
The basic fundamental idea that I took away from this reading was the fact that in order to become a more influential and effective agent of social change, activism needs to be a quality that you possess. I remember once going on a missions trip with a church I was with for a summer. I remember having to do some social work there in less than privileged neighborhoods. There were various activities that our group did to help out around the community. The activity that I was assigned was to teach these young girls from Asia how to speak English better. They had recently came over to America to live and did not know how to speak English too well. After a week of teaching these girls I saw an immediate improvement in their speaking of English. The joy that would come across their faces when they got something right made it all worth it.
That experience is connected with this reading in the sense that one of the most effective ways to promote social change is through activism and acting upon something. I also connected with the part of the reading referring to a researcher and volunteer being two completely different roles when dealing with a community and social change. As a researcher you have to keep objective distance between your subject and yourself. But as a volunteer you connect with the community and this personal basis allows for more prominent changes to occur throughout that community.
This reading ignited my thoughts and flames on the subject of volunteering and activism. I will never forget that famous saying, if you stand for nothing you’ll for for anything. I believe standing for something is incredibly courageous and important. I believe that saying is at the core of activism. You have to have a stance that you are willing to act up on. This reading reinforced my idea that volunteering is of crucial importance to the development of many places in this world. It also showed me how incredibly important students can be when they actively involve themselves in a sort of service-learning or volunteering program. So many people can benefit from the knowledge we have as students. Only way to spread that knowledge to those that need it is to be active in the community. This reading helped me to see that once more.
Wolcott Writing for Social Change 14 