Service Learning Matters

Now that I’m home and had a bit of time to wind down and reflect, I am blogging a little more now to reflect on this year-long experience.

The beginning

The reason why I decided to join the Beyond Borders program and spend this summer abroad could not have been clearer. I have decided early on in my years at Waterloo that I want to contribute to the society in whatever way I can for the rest of my life. I just didn't know exactly how to go about doing that. I have been one that lived with a vision, but not a lot of actions.

Being in the Beyond Borders program gave me the chance to learn to live that vision. Whether it's fundraising, blogging, learning, teaching, being abroad, working with different people, criticizing, accepting, doing all of these have allowed me to pull all the skills and strengths I've developed over the years together in my final year at university. This is my understanding of what service-learning means.

Service-learning isn't a program or a course. It's a mindset, way of thinking. It is a process of [input + reflection + output]. We first hear or see something. Then we internalize our thoughts to try to perceive and understand. Finally we apply it to a context as we see fit, discovering ourselves and our places in the world along the way.

Some friends have questioned my decision to go on an international volunteer placement at this point in my life. They believed people should work to establish themselves first, so they have the necessary power and resources to make a bigger impact. They say to me, “If I go now, I may be helping to tutor 10 kids. If I go after I’ve become rich, I could donate a lot more money, I could build a factory so that I can hire thousands of people”. I see where they’re coming from, but I couldn’t agree with the “I’ll get to it later on in my life” mentality. Just as wealth needs time to accumulate, so does wisdom. You need to be in the middle of it all right from the beginning, in order to truly understand, to truly feel, to truly make it matter in your life.

How Service-Learning Mattered

1) Learning is frustrating. You're not frustrated, you're not learning. Trust me, it's so frustrating.
2) We cannot single-handedly right all the wrongs in the world. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Who do we think we are to go in and turn everything around? We are a part of the movement, a part of people who are not willing to accept “this is how things are” and are willing to stand up to challenge the status quo. When it reaches a tipping point, a transformation will happen.
3) Conversations are essential to create relationship and understanding
4) It helps us develop a strong heart, discover about ourselves and people around us, our true calling, who we're meant to become, and all the opportunities in the world. It puts things in context so we can define our own path for ourselves.
5) You make friends who you can depend on for life, who share the same passion, and who will understand you and support you through the things you will go through together in life. As the saying goes, "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me, and be my friend. " - Albert Camus
7) Puts you responsible for your own education - take ownership, be curious, ask question, share, don't sit and wait for answers. "The banking system” doesn't work.
8) People will help you if you want something enough. Don't be afraid to ask for support. Believe that people do care about you
9) Volunteering overseas do sound very cool, but often our battlefields are in our very own backyard (for example: The Working Centre)
10) Giving your time and making the world a better place is not a "volunteer job" that only "nice people" do, it's an obligation of every single person. Just remember, "It's not that we can make a difference, it's that we do make a difference." - Julia Butterfly Hill

Let the future unfolds

I remember panicking on several occasions during my summer in Botswana, especially towards the end when I knew I was going to have to leave soon. I kept thinking to myself, “When will I get a chance to do this again? I just graduated, this summer was my last opportunity to go abroad like this.” For someone who has always tried to stay in school for as long as she could, finally moving onto the next stage of life is a big deal. I’m very excited about the new stage of life I will be starting. Yet, deep down I am afraid I would be stuck from now on. But then I did finally realize, if I had want to devote my life to make the world a better place, it would be my responsibility to ensure I incorporate that mission in whatever I decide to do with my life, career, money and time. If I was being true to myself, and if I want to make my life matters, “I can’t because I need to grow up and get a job” would just be another excuse. I should not be afraid of “being stuck” because I need to start working full-time, instead, I should full embrace all the opportunities that are opening up to me because I’m finally venturing into the “real world”.

As I begin the next chapter of my life, I’ve set some resolutions for myself:
1) I will make actions as important as reflections. My blog will continue to be a true reflection of my decisions and actions as I continue to focus on my battlefields and do my best.
2) I will not think the only way I can contribute is when I'm oversea just because it sounds “more important”. There are many communities back home that I can join and issues that I can learn about. I would like to learn more about our Native Canadian issues. I also want to help ensure all young people have access to information technology and experience the power of the web.
3) I will learn more about different religion as it is one of the most important aspect to understand others around the world. I also want to continue to explore the plan God has for me.

The end of every journey is also the beginning of the next... how true.