One Director's Voice

This chapter takes a look at the environment of a community-based organization that has the motto, "Everyone a learner, everyone a teacher, everyone a leader." It gives service learners ownership of their work and an opportunity to really engage as members of the community-- not just college students who may be new to the place in which they now live-- and sparks the creative nature of community members. The idea differs significantly from community service models seen in traditional service-learning placements in that everyone involved in the process, including faculty, staff, committee members, program participants, and volunteers, are all seen as contributors to the process who have a great deal to share as well as to learn, and who have a responsibility to direct the organization. The organization is dynamic and able to flex to the needs determined by the community rather than committed to a static system of programs that provide services.

The service learner becomes an integral part of the decision-making process. This begins on the fist day, when the learner meets with staff to determine what the person wants to learn as well as what expertise he or she can share. Through this process, the learning project is sculpted. It is a considerably more complicated process than more traditional organizations in which a learner is simply given tasks, but the organization's leaders believe that it fosters ownership and encourages long-term community involvement. (author)