Service learning: Discovering effective communication strategies by emphasizing the community's perspective

Inquiry about the service learning experience provided to the agency and community is necessary for a mutually beneficial relationship to exist between the service learning partners. Expectations need to be met and a constructive experience needs to be bestowed upon the service provider and service recipient.; The concern for the welfare of the community was the underlying reason that prompted this interrogation and examination of the service learning experience from the service recipient's perspective. Collecting data from the community agencies that received service was pertinent. Through evaluation and comparison, a common thread for a successful and productive service learning project was outlined.; Service learning programs can be beneficial to the service recipients if they are conducted properly and the students understand and take responsibility for their actions while performing the service provider's role. Students are sometimes encouraged to engage in service provision without a clear understanding of how their service affects the communities around them. Without this clear understanding of the needs of the individuals in the community, the effect's of service learning projects may indeed be viewed as unpleasant by the very individuals whose lives the service was intended to enhance, despite the best of good intentions.; By discovering effective communication strategies, the managerial and organizational skills that must be in place for a productive and successful service learning experience were uncovered. The communication strategies need to be integrated into the orientation and training that occurs with the service learning partners before the project commences. Organization and planning of service learning before the project actually begins is of prominent importance to the instructors, students and coordinators of service learning programs.; In essence, the rationale of this proposal goes full circle by evaluating the student behavior and activity in the community agency and then communicating the information back to the classroom for the instructor and students to assess. Follow through on a service learning project is imperative until it manifests as a successful product. The same goal is in mind for both the service provider and the service recipient: a mutually beneficial relationship and experience.