Service-Learning and globalization

LEARNING BY DOING IN THE TODAY’S CONTEXT: SERVICE LEARNING AND                                   GLOBALIZATION

<<Do not conform is a difficult advice in a generation when crowd pressures have unconsciously conditioned our minds and feet to move to t he rhythmic drumbeat of the status quo>>, dit Martin Luther King Junior.
                        La mondialisation étant un processus au cours duquel le monde est entrain de se réduire en un village  planétaire, pas de raison pour y échapper. La mondialisation est entrain de s’imposer à pas de géant sous son engin le plus puissant, la technologie. Celle-ci à son tour évolue à une vitesse vertigineuse. Ce n’est pas tout, <<à toute action correspond une réaction>>, dit Isaac Newton. La mondialisation et se régie par la relation réciproque du rendez-vous du donner et du recevoir sous forme multidimensionnelle au cours duquel toutes les nations du monde, chacune avec sa part, se présentent à la table des nations pour le bien commun. En particulier, lorsqu’il s’agit des cultures qui se rencontrent, nous parlons de l’acculturation.

                         Dans plusieurs parties du monde, cette dernière est mal accueillie juste parce qu’il n’existe pas une compréhension effective de l’acculturation ; d’où, de la mondialisation elle-même. Ici, il ne s’agit pas simplement de copier à l’aveuglette la culture et les pratiques étrangères, mais plutôt, avec tout discernement, de prendre ce qui est de bon chez autrui pour le mélanger avec ce que l’on a de bon tout en gardant son identité et son originalité intactes.
 A force de se sous-estimer, d’autres ne font que décalquer les pratiques étrangères sans autant même qu’ils aient compris le fond fin de ces pratiques. Ceci ne fait qu’handicaper le rendez-vous du donner et du recevoir, vu que le donner n’existe quasiment plus. Dieu, le Grand Créateur, nous a créés chacun avec ses spécificités, ce qui implique aussi que chacun a ses capacités, ses qualités, ses aptitudes, ses potentialités. Personne ne peut se permettre de déclarer tout haut que lui n’en dispose pas car cela risque de faire preuve d’une ingratitude à outrance et cela ne fairait jamais plaisir à Dieu!!!
Voici déjà que la création a un caractère général, l’unité dans la diversité. En titre d’illustration, considérons la nature humaine. Chaque être humain détient sa propre configuration de la séquence dans la chaine d’ADN, mais nous cohabitons ensemble sans discrimination. Il en est de même pour les contraintes de développement. Certaines régions sont dans un climat chaud, et d’autres dans un froid ; certaines régions sont en scandale géologique, tandis que d’autres ne possèdent pas grand-chose ; certaines régions possèdent un sol considérablement fertile, alors que d’autres régions en possèdent un sol pauvre en matières natives pour la fertilité. Et la liste ne fait que continuer.

                              C’est ici que le Service-Learning ou l’apprentissage s’impose. En  servant la communauté, nous parviendrons à comprendre ses atouts et défis tout en cherchant à comment les transformer en opportunités. D’ailleurs, parlant Service-Learning, c’est la communauté qui devient enseignant des apprenants. Ainsi, même dans leurs recherches, les apprenants ne se focaliseront leurs recherches que sur la communauté pour envisager des conditions nouvelles pouvant amener la communauté à connaitre une reforme irredoutable, un développement durable, ainsi qu’à la transformation. A chacun de nous d’agir.

By REGIS Mathe HENRY

Service-Learning as a tool for educating Congolese leaders

Dr. David Kasali, founder and rector of Universite Chretienne Bilingue du Congo explains how service-learning is a critical part of education in DR Congo. Service-learning helps students learn from their communities and develop solutions for challenges that hinder progress.

(Thanks to Phil Abrahamson for his work on this video.)

UCBC attends Service-Learning Conference in USA

National Service-Learning Conference,

April 11-14th

Honore explains service-learning to conference
participants from around the globe

For the past three years the National Youth Leadership Council has provided training, professional mentoring, and resources for the development of service-learning at UCBC. 

Each year they host a conference where over 2,000 people gather to attend workshops, participate in service projects, and listen to plenary sessions from world renowned leaders. At the National Service-Learning Conference Honore and I presented at the 6th Annual Service-Learning World Forum. During this event service-learning practitioners from around the world shared how service-learning is impacting their communities, institutions, and students.We spoke about UCBC and how service-learning is a change agent in our context. I was impressed to hear that service-learning is gaining popularity with educators, youth, and leaders in the Middle East. One young leader said, "After the Arab spring people in my country are starting to respect youth and their perspective...before they didn't consider our opinions. Now we can be involved...".

Honore presents on a panel at the
6th Annual  Service-Learning World Forum

Founder, Jim Kielsmeir (pictured above) reiterated the aforementioned when he spoke about the concept of contribution. He insists that when youth participate in solving the problems in their community there is an intrinsic gain for the individual, group, and larger society. He told a moving story about a seven year old girl involved in a service project with teens who generously entertained the idea that her participation was critical to the outcome of the task. She exclaimed, "They needed my help!" It was obvious that she couldn't truly be of assistance. However, Dr. Kielsmeir insists that, "people of all ages need to be needed...all people can contribute meaning, purpose, direction. Wholeness comes from contribution." 

Honore plants a tree

During the conference Dr. Kielsmeier, Honore, and I were a part of a service project replacing trees in  a local park. On a dreary, cold, rainy day we rolled up our sleeves with approximately 15 youth, members of the Iowa Conservation Corps, and NYLC staff to plant two trees. During the planting we were taught the quote, "No one stands so tall as when they stoop low to plant a tree under whose shade they will never sit." I love this idea: that greatness is found in working for the benefit of others...even if we never witness how our work impacted others. 

Removing the burlap from the tree base

By: Chelsie Frank, UCBC Service-Learning Coordinator

Service-Learning Workshop

          All UCBC teachers were expected to attend the SL workshop that took place on June 18, 2011 at UCBC. The coordinator of  the UCBC Service-Learning, Chelsie Frank, had on her agenda different points to address:  SL as a philosophy/ method, SL Leadership, Professor survey, and a planning chart for all the participants, for small groups and for each teacher individually.

Mr Honore, the UCBC academic opened the cession with the word of prayer before giving the floor to the SL coordinator. She gave a clear presentation of SL as a philosophy and method. The second point was developed by Mr Honore, who emphasized on each one’s role for the success of SL at UCBC. From the rector to students, everyone has a vital role to play.

The next step was the teachers’ survey. The SL coordination did not do the survey for them to evaluate the teachers. Instead, it aimed to help teachers to evaluate their understanding of SL.

Then the UCBC coordinator presented a sample planning chart to all the participants. They all brainstormed about kinds of projects that can connect to a given class. At the end of a four-hours-workshop, each participant presented a SL project in a group, and individually.

Thanks to this SL workshop, the UCBC SL coordination office now has ten different SL projects for next year in Theology, Economics, Communication, Language Arts, and Applied Sciences departments

Better Late than Never

         The intermediate level 1 English teacher conducted a SL project in her class. Meredith understood that it is never too late to do something good. Even if it was only two weeks left before the reading week, she thought it is better late than never.

One group of students went to tutor English at the UCBC language Institute, while the other group went to a local language Institute known as Vocational Training Center (VTC).

            VTC is a very special language Institute in Beni town. It is located in one of the United Nations Mission’s camp. The school used to teach English to street children and demobilized children from the army. Nowadays, they teach English and computer skills to any one who is willing to learn.

Tutoring was a very new experience for the students of the intermediate level at UCBC. Each student was expected to share with a small group of three to five. They discussed objectives covered in their English class. For example: paragraph structures, modal auxiliaries, gerunds, and comparison/superlatives. They learned more by doing a service.

            Many students from UCBC did not have much confidence in their English ability. They thought VTC students knew better English than theirs, but at the end of the class they felt more confident and were eagerly waiting for the next tutoring session.

Teaching English at the Language Institute

The students in advanced class went to teach English at the UCBC language

institute in Beni.We met three of them: Adelfine, Ashura and Kikwaya. Asked

 separetily,they said that what they loved the

most about teaching English is the fact that they were not only

 teaching, but above all, they learned beyond their expectations.

Adelfine said," I got new knowledge because I had to prepare my lessons

and read a lot, it's inspires me to become a teacher one day."
Adelfine found the project very helpful for the students at the language institute,

" the students found our english easier to understand than their

teacher's.This enabled them to understand some lessons that they could

 hardly ever understand from their teachers due to their high level in

english", she added.

However, Adelfine thinks two weeks are not enough for such projects. Her

wish is " to sustain this teaching project, it could be better to have

an entire class  just for teaching practice after the intermediate level."

She is very willing to work again in such project.

Kikwaya found that the project was very helpful for their students because

they made them work hard. About the sustainability of the project he is very optimist" I would like to stop learning english and continue teaching. I took it as an opportunity to learn, for me the one who is teaching is learning more than he who is in class.I had to check all my notes from L1. To keep this project, we should censetize students who have reached a high level in english."

The fact that one had something to communicate and someone else was

ready to listen and wanted to learn attracted Ashura's intention.

Morover she said,"I learnt a lot from the students experience. It good

to teach for you share what you know."  

Ashura suggests that UCBC students should not only teach for grade, but

instead, they should take this as an opportunity to learn. "They can either

go in some primary and high schools or teach at UCBC in law classes",she

concluded. 

SL Promotion Week

 

Many students at UCBC do not know what service-learning (SL) is all

about. The SL coordination noticed this after a quiz was given to all UCBC

students to investigate people’s understanding of sl. Some confused SL with the Work Program, picking up trash; while others confused it with acts of charity.

Thus, the SL program organized the first SL promotion week led by SL interns at UCBC from the 9^th to 13^thto help both students and staff members gain a deeper understanding of SL.

All activities were conducted over the course of three days : Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The first day, SL interns gave an overview of SL theory. Jimmy (Community partnership and project support specialist) opened the session and explained to the audiance the definition of SL.

Nathan (Community partnership and project support specialist) gave some

Examples of types of SL: direct, indirect and advocacy. He made a clear illustration of these kinds of SL thanks to some SL project that have been conducted in the community of Beni by UCBC students.

Francine (Communications and Multimedia Specialist),came up with some concepts that people often confuse with SL; such as work program, volunteering,internship and service, to name but the few. She insisted on the fact that the biggest difference between the later and SL is that there is no learning in them in terms of connection to a class.

After then, Zawadi (Food security specialist), explained why is it important to have SL at UCBC. She gave different contributions both for students and staff members in order to have a successful SL program at UCBC.

Most importantly, she asserted that SL is a teaching method.

To close the day, Jimy thanked everyone who attended and introduced the topic for the next day.

The Second Day

The newest promotion of UCBC(L1) have more experience with SL than any other

promotion. Early this year, they conducted some economic, social and education SL projects in the DRC Realities course taught by rector, Dr. Kasali. This class has some objectives among which is to discuss challenges that the Congolese people are facing and change them into opportunities.

The second day's activity was mainly focused on ten

L1 students sharing of about their projects and representing their group. Each one of them showed how their project connected to the DRC class objectives.Justin, one of the speakers, explained clearly how the challenges of Efata Deaf School were changed into opportunities through a grant of $120 to support the economic development of the school.

Third Day

On the last day's agenda was for UCBC students to interact with SL ideas. The

goal of the SL promotion week was not to inform, but to communicate.

This made having the feedback of the audience of great importance.

"The Time is Now": The 22nd Annual Service-Learning Conference in Atlanta

This week marks the twenty-second annual conference for service-learning (NSLC) hosted by the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC). The slogan, "The Time is Now" expresses the urgent need for youth and youth advocates to take initiative and create more opportunities for service that promote justice and peace in our world. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." The Bilingual Christian University of Congo (UCBC) wants to walk in his powerful and humble example of service to others and working to fight injustice in society.


NYLC has been a key partner in the development of Service-Learning at UCBC. The founder of NYLC, Dr. Jim Kielsmeier, has supported service-learning at UCBC from the very beginning. He travelled to DR Congo last year to tri-host (with Paul Tshihamba, UCBC and NYLC board member; and myself, the UCBC Service-Learning Coordinator) a 2-day workshop for UCBC staff and faculty. This year, Dr. Kielsmeier invited UCBC to share their expertise in service-learning at the conference.

Academic Dean, Honore Bunduki and Congo Initiative Board member, Mary Henton arrived today in Atlanta. Tomorrow the conference begins. The NSLC features speakers, workshop sessions, discussions, and service-events with a national and international focus. Highly noteworthy keynote speakers for the conference are world-renowned Greg Mortenson, author of "Three Cups of Tea" and founder of Central Asia Institute, Pennies for Peace and Dorthy Cotton, Education Director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and close advisor to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The conference will also host the 5th Annual Service-Learning World Forum: an event where service-learning leaders from around the world share ideas and happenings from their unique context. The exchange seeks to strengthen and enrich service-learning as practitioners come together. Honore and Chelsie will be sharing about service-learning at UCBC at the session focused on service-learning in Africa. Among them will be service-learning leaders, Naiomi Tutu (South Africa) and Wookie Weah (Liberia).

UCBC is blessed to be connected with this important work in service-learning and all the champions for youth development amidst people at NYLC.


From Atlanta,
Chelsie Frank, Service-Learning Coordinator

The Sooner, The Better

From January 19th through the whole week, students in Basic English

went into the community of Beni. They went to Bungulu high school to teach English.

These students experienced Service-Learning. They both served others and

learned practical skills under the initiative of the Service-Learning

coordinator, assisted by teacher Maka Bululguli.

Last year students in the advanced class taught English in the community of Beni to street children. Unlike this year, students in Basic English class taught in a high school no matter how difficult it seemed to be.
   

In many Congolese high schools pupils take their English class
lightly, partly because DRC, after France, is the largest French-speaking country
and partly because they hardly ever find people with whom to speak English.
This makes English trickier; nevertheless, these students are trying
ever so little to help Bungulu's pupils understand English. Showing
them the king of food they are speaking about is the easiest way to help
them understand. The pupils granted much interest in this class and
spent good time with their new teachers.
    French is the official language of DRC. English is taught as a course. Today with globalisation one can not help but to learn English.The headmaster of this high school is well aware of the fact that it is a must for this future generation to learn Englisn. He therefore, ensured us that we can come back any time for another Service-Learning adventure.  

Service-Learning Workshop

 On saturday,January 15th Service-Learning interns met to brainstom ideas for projects in the DRC course(freshmen core course). Interns identified several possible community partners for theService-Learning projects and discussed the viability of sustained partnership with group doing good work in Beni.

 They discussed community needs and the needs of the organisations in Beni.

Intern Kambale Amos said,"once they accept they have the need, we can work with them, not for them."After discussing inter-disciplinary collaboration using community maps, interns decided who will make contact with community partners.