Service Learning - Long Term Goals

The service-learning experience connects to my long term career goals in many ways. The most important connection is working with others. As a Financial Analyst, you must be able to understand what the goal and needs are to be able to provide clients with the right information. Working well with others enables you to efficiently complete tasks and keep the project moving in the right direction. The ability to produce professional documents enhances the credibility of the information being presented.

Service Learning - Lessons Learned

Saginaw has taken a bad rap over the past decade with the increase in crime and lack of opportunity for residents. I feel this community still has a lot to offer. The Saginaw Art Museum is a fine example. When I met with Kara and Ryan, I picked up a Fall Calendar of Events for the Saginaw Valley. I was pleased to see all the events listed. Working on this project has inspired me to explore more of what my community has to offer.

Service Learning - A Learning Experience

I have completed the brochure and am waiting for feedback. The process went well overall. Creating this document gave me a chance to collaborate with two of the curators from the museum. Working on this brochure gave me an opportunity to enhance my ability to share ideas and glean enough information to produce a document that will fit the clients needs. The oportunity to work on something creative and enhance my editing skills was a welcome change to my "day job". This project gave me the chance to use many of the skills I have acquired in this class and some of the skills I use in my current job.

Collaboration

Our group seemed to function well together. There was some reluctance to volunteer to be leader. However, many people are reluctant to lead when the objective and expectations are a little unclear. Once we picked a topic, everyone seemed to really dig in and get the tasks accomplished. One weakness from my prospective was individuals not wanting to weigh in on a direction to take. Keeping the group focused and on task can make or break collaborative efforts.

Technical Definition Assignment

My group consisted of Shannon, Tracy, and Ashley. The term we chose was hostile environment. I feel we functioned well together as a group. We were able to pick a term and assign a method for each member to write about. One area we took a little time to come to a consensus about was the format for the Wetpaint site.

Service Learning Project

I chose the Saginaw Art Museum for my service learning project. The museum is located on Michigan Avenue in a historic home. This home belonged to the Ring family. They were a well to do lumber era family. I have a meeting with Kara Friday November 6 to discuss possible projects. She was excited about this project. I'll add to this post as soon as I know more. I met with Kara and Ryan today to discuss in more detail their document needs. They are interested in creating a brochure to market the rental of museum space for events. We discussed some ideas for the brochure and also toured the museum rental areas.

Service Learning

The following quote from servicelearning.org is an excellent summary of service learning. "Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities." When we were first assigned this task, my impression was that this was a way to use our writing skills in the "real world". Upon researching service learning, I have come to the realization that service learning is so much more. Yes, you will get a chance to interact and use your new skill set. However, this project really gets you thinking about the community and organizations that support the very place that we live. It is easy to take from others and the community without thinking about giving back. It is also easy to dismiss those who have given so much to improve and shape our town. Without these individuals, we would not have many of the places and services we all take for granite. Think about that park you like to take walks in, then take a minute to be grateful to the person who gave the property to the town so all could enjoy the land. I hope to find a partner that supports culture or the arts. I know there are organizations that serve basic needs to the people. The arts and culture are often overlooked. These organizations play a large role in the developement of people as well. I hope that I can find a need to service for one of these groups.