Grade 9 Visits Seven Sites for Service Learning Day

 

This day advances Rivers’ service learning curriculum by exposing students to non-profit agencies, familiarizing them with what issues the agency addresses, and allowing them to experience the benefits of community service.

 

“The emphasis of the experience is not only on what you can give, but what you learn and how you grow as a person from it,” said Director of Service Learning Kit Beaudouin. “You also learn about people who are different than yourself, who have different life experiences. It’s an opportunity to learn about non-profits and how they work, and hopefully to think about the broader systemic social justice issues facing our society.”

 

For example, students who spent the day in an emergency food pantry might question why so many people in our wealthy nation are unable to put adequate food on their tables. The experience prompts students to view the political world more closely, and to connect with discussions of social justice issues, such as the minimum wage bill.

 

The largest groups of students were split between Framingham Head Start and the Natick Community Organic Farm, and it is in those two experiences show the breadth of service opportunities offered. At the Head Start site, students were assisting classrooms of three- to five-year-old children with reading and art projects, while students at the Natick farm harvested crops, fed animals, and helped with the day-to-day operating activities of a food-producing non-profit organization.

 

Other sites included Community Servings in Jamaica Plain, Waltham Creative Start, A Place to Turn and Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary in Natick, and The Second Step in Newton.

 

“I saw a lot of enthusiasm at each site I visited. I saw a lot of energy created by being in a different space and taking part in experiential learning,” Beaudouin said. “Even on the hard jobs, there is humor, there is bonding, there’s a chance to interact with each other in a place that makes you feel like you’re part of a broader community that is doing something positive. The biggest thing I saw at each site was that the students were all so engaged – which is just awesome.”

 

With the momentum from Monday’s service day, the Rivers Serves club has planned return trips to four of the sites later this fall to continue to forge relationships with these organizations.