Journal Entry - 1/02/2007
HC395 Service Learning Trip

Today we visited the Poverello Center in Missoula, MT, and received a tour of the facilities. Along the way we learned about their programs, their values/mission, and heard stories about some of the residents, both successful and not.

The most important thing I learned there today, is how much volunteer effort is required to run their services/program, and also how much cooperation with other agencies - business/state/private/etc. is involved - like the story of the guy from Ireland who needed a new passport and green card!!

This connects with the previous journal entry , specifically the note about "community service/volunteerism/service learning is the glue that binds society together" - most especially because the city cannot provide all the necessary services, and even the Pov has a hard time serving 300 meals a day without the help of volunteers.

It connected with me today because of the readings from "soul of a citizen" that we were required to read for class -which I read today. The key points I picked up from the readings were the author's acknowledgment of how difficult it can be to volunteer, especially when the circumstances are unusual/out of your comfort zone....and the societal norms/standards that can affect it. Despite these difficulties, he makes a marvelous case for volunteer citizen action even just in the two chapters we read.

I admit to feeling slightly nervous about the prospect of serving lunch 1) because I'm not always know for my efficiency with assembly-line tasks, and 2) I still struggle with being comfortable around homeless people, especially those with mental health issues. Despite this...I was a little disappointed to find out that they only needed about 2-3 people...making us too large of a group. However, it sounds like we'll be able to serve in small groups when we come back from Denver....it might even be a better experience for it. If I had been brave enough...I might have asked, "I'd like to serve lunch today if two other people will join me..." but I also felt a little nervous about doing it - I haven't got a feel for the group's dynamics yet...and the rest of my day was looking busy (I know, bad excuse) and I could use the extra time to catch up on a few things.

On the other hand...like was mentioned in the readings, and what Nick and Andrea have both said......there has never been a volunteer experience that I ultimately have disliked or regretted participating in...regardless of how stressful it was. My larger ambivalence has to do with the initial decision to participate...as noted both in our readings, and a book I'm reading called "twilight" - a vampire thriller in which one of the main characters has to deal with the consequences of falling in love with a vampire...a metaphysical/fantasy love story. She quotes herself at one point saying, "The hardest part for me is making the decision to do something....and once I've made it...there a certain amount of relief in not having to renege on that decision - to just follow through with it." - this is also echoed in Descartes' Discourse on method - his fourth rule is to "be resolute" in following decisions, no matter where they take you.

So....at this point...I'm very excited about the volunteer opportunities, both at the Poverello and the Denver trip....but I'm still struggling with "initial" decisions to join/participate, partly because of the group I'm with...am still struggling to "get a feel" for how we all interact and our individual personalities.....but I'm glad that (at least w/ the denver trip) the decision has been made for me....and I don't have to worry about quibbling over that. I also am more convinced than ever that service-learning/community service/volunteering is imperative to a democratic society.