Service Learning Conversation
September 5, 2010
In a meeting with Dr. Andrew Furco while discussing service learning, we talked about ways in which UMN could design a course together with Argentina – FLACSO in which undergraduate students could learn about the capability of youth in bringing about global change and the different programs in the world where this has taken place, analyzing both advantages and disadvantages. The class currently is conceived as a six credit course in which students could learn the theory and its history during the spring semester of 2011 at the University of Minnesota, where the students divided in groups of 3 to 4 students will partner with a local organization and help their youth members conduct a service learning project. The goal is not to help the children directly but rather have the students work side by side with the young adults and children taking part in this project and learn the capabilities for youth to bring about change. With few assessed limitations and a high level of idealism children are at times more willing to tackle issues that adults would be hesitant to be involved with.
While continuing to dialog about the subject, Dr. Furco elaborated on the capabilities of children led movements by talking about a previous child led initiative in which children at an elementary school when discussing slavery in America asked their teacher if slavery still took place in the world. Being a good teacher, she researched the topic and explained to the children how slavery was still taking place in Sudan, where at times when the parents were indebted, they would sell their children as laborers. When the young students learned about this, they decided to take action and coordinating with an NGO they collected thousands of dollars to buy the freedom of a number of child slaves in Sudan. While purchasing slaves raises some moral questions, including whether or not it alleviates the problem or perhaps exacerbates it, as slave owners may see the purchasing of slaves by NGOs as a way to generate revenue, what is unquestionable is that from a simple classroom idea, children in the United States were able to organize a movement to free children from the bondage of slavery half way across the world.
