The Importance of Having an Office of Service Learning

Located on the ground floor of the residence hall Commonwealth at West Chester University, is the Office of Service Learning and Volunteering. This office puts in countless hours of work to help students, faculty, the campus, and the community. The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs provides work study options, study abroad trips, and volunteer programs. This organization is a necessity to the campus and community because it allows students to engage in unique volunteer opportunities, while working and earning their financial aid. By partnering with local organizations, the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs is helping the members of the community and campus to become active volunteers.

The work study program is a vital aspect of the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs. There are currently 25 students in the work study program who are working with children and earning their financial aid. There are also 10 students mentoring youth at different programs such as The Henderson YMCA, West Chester Daycare, Melton Center, and Coatesville Kits to College. The work study program offers students a chance to work 10 hours a week while getting a good salary during college. The program is essential to students at West Chester who need help financially while getting hands on experience in relation with their major.

The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs also offers various volunteer trips that give students an unforgettable experience. The organization hosts five domestic trips and one international trip every year. Students have the chance to volunteer with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and The Pittsburgh Air Force. Each trip is student run which allows for leadership opportunities. There is also a summer study abroad trip which students can apply for in October. The trip is for one week and the group focuses on a single issue. The trips are low cost and financial aid is available. The domestic, spring, and summer trips are all great learning experiences for students that gives them a chance to organize and lead the trips as a way to give back to those in need. Here are just a few facts about the International Service Learning program: it consists of 41 students, 5 countries, 745 hours of service, 2 student trip leaders, 12 community partners, and 129 academic credits earned.

The alternative spring break is a popular program in the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs. The alternative break programs are short trips around the world. The goal is to get to know new communities where students will work with local residents to learn about different service issues. Students volunteer in these communities where they help them on these social issues. For example, in the 2016-2017 school year, students went to Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York City, Roanoke, and Perú. Within these cities, the issues they worked on were sustainable food resources in urban communities, HIV/AIDS education within the LGBTQ community, youth education and financial literacy, affordable housing and homelessness, and youth and community development. On the Office of Service-Learning and Volunteer Programs website, they have applications for the 2018 alternative spring break. These trips will address issues of affordable housing with habitat for humanity in North Carolina. The students will help build affordable houses for families living with a low-income or other financial challenges. Another trip will be in Washington, DC, where students will volunteer with nonprofit organizations. They will explore the political issues and advocate for social justice and women’s rights. There will also be a trip to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, where students will transform the environment through sustainability and outdoor education. The two trips they offered in the 2016-2017 school year were in Pittsburgh serving the LGBTQ community impacted by HIV/AIDS and in New York City empowering youth through financial literacy education. During 2016-2017, 100% of the participants who attended one of the alternative break trips were able to fully understand the importance of reflecting as it is a crucial tool for growth and life-long learning. Around 96% of the participants said they “felt empowered to become more engaged in our community and/or on campus, as a result of their AB experience.”

There are many other important contributions the Office of Service Learning makes not only for the campus, but for the community as a whole. The Office partners with faculty to create Service Learning Courses which gives students a new insight on the community and learning. These courses serve to teach students outside the classroom and allow them to engage in the community through their volunteer work with organizations such as Thorncroft, the Hickman, and Chester County Futures. The Office also offers career counseling and literacy programs for students. On a day to day basis, they help with any clubs and organizations on campus who reach out for fundraising help as well as partnering students with an organization they want to volunteer at. The office encourages voting and hosts the Volunteer Day Fair and MLK Day Of Service. Another important aspect of the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs is hosting food drives to contribute to their Resource Pantry for low income students.

Each academic school year, the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs publishes an annual report recording what they accomplished throughout the school year. In 2016-2017, the office reported 797,424 hours of academic service learning, helped 7,454 students and 153 faculty members, had 139 unique courses, and 510 course sections. They even had an increase in course section in the academic year of 8.5%. The goal of the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs is to expand the opportunities for students and staff for service learning across different colleges. According to the Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs website, “West Chester University defines academic service learning as a teaching method that combines community service with curricular goals, as it focuses on critical, reflective thinking and civic responsibility.”

The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs hosts several events throughout the year. Adopt-A-Block, is an event where the students of WCU work together to keep the Borough free of any trash, and students are assigned to a designated area and clean it up once or twice a month. In 2016-2017, there were 41 blocks that were cleaned up by students from 60 different campus clubs and organizations. Another is the Volunteer Fair, typically held at the beginning of the semester where the office hosts some 50 of their community partners for students and staff to be educated about. They also host the Move Out Food Drive, SOAR: New Student Leadership Retreat, and Play4Kay.

The Office of Service Learning and Volunteering provides great opportunities and experiences for students. The Office allows for students and faculty to volunteer or work as part of the work study program in one of the 100 organizations that The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer Programs is partnered with. The Office provides not only for the West Chester campus, but for the community by helping low income students, members of the community, and people abroad. Students learn leadership, hard work, gain experience, and life lessons through the service learning courses, trips, work study, and volunteer opportunities. The Office of Service Learning and Volunteer programs allows students to gain experiences and learn important life lessons they can use after graduation.