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THE ATLANTA SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE June - December, J969 Atlanta, Georgia This paper was developed from materials prepared by William R. Ramsay of the Southern Regional Education Board, by Dean Edward Holmes of Emory University, by Sam Williams of the Atlanta Urban Corps, by J. D. Kimmins of the Peace Corps, by Donald J. Eberly of the National Service Secretariat, and others. �The Service-Learning Concept To serve and to learnj these fundamental goals of our society are ingrained in the American rhetoric. But how to serve? and how to learn? An institutionalized, bureaucratized 20th Century America has effectively limited the answers to these questions. For "service to country" America legislatively requires mili tary duty only, which many of today's young people find morally questionable. For "learning" we have complex university systems with limited ability to respond to the individual and with oftimes conservative views of what is education and what is not. However, considerable attention is currently being given to the role of universities in service to society. At one extreme, arguments are heard that community involvement by an academic institution threatens its integrity and drains its resources. At the other end of the spectrum of opinion is the view of the university as a shaper of society with special social responsibilities because of its objectivity, standards, and resources of knowledge. These arguments about campus-in-community may obscure fundamental questions of the role of the community as an educational resource. Can the university perform its primary functions of education and the discovery of new knowledge without an involvement in s ociety? Can educational instit utions develop the type of manpower needed by a rapidly changing society, both as professiona ls a nd as citizens in a democra cy, without including t h e r esources of societal experience in the educat i onal process ? How might community service, sought by many students, best be designed as a learning experience and integrated with other aspects of a total educational pr ogr am? Alternatives to traditiona l "service" a nd "learning " do indeed exist , beca use Amer ica is va st and strives f or f r e edom of indivi dua l expr es s i on . Some uni ver s ities a nd colleges, f or example, b ending to strong and s ome~ times v iol e nt winds of cha nge , s uppor t t he creation of "free universities " on their campuses. But, heavy course loads and the "success" syndrome of a hurr y-up materialistic soci ety, do not do much to encourage the average college student to pursue ext ra-curr icular educat i on that is unnecessary f or a degree award . Exist ing service programs l ike Teacher Corps, VISTA, a nd Peace Corps a ttract only a t iny per centage of college graduates , partly be ca use the time spe nt with thes e a genc ies i s often const r ued a s a ltruis tic "sacri f i ce. " The fact is t h at our society' s definition of wh at is "practical, " mows down idealist by the hundreds of t ho usands. The System persuades many that "volunteer " serv i ce and educationa l experimentation is to b e undertaken at personal expense and risk, and onl.v rarely at the expense or risk of est ablished institutions. 1 �mL~;:;)-,~~l~~-:;-t-~--~~e·· ·---- I - ----~---. - ,-- ;cb:1)01 administrators -( hea:i.tty new needs of s·;.;uC:.ent :participation and incorporate that activity into the learning process. President Richard M. Nixon i Radio address of October 17, 1968 ·-·- --· -- - -··-·-- - - - -- --·-- --- - - ______________ .,__ 1 1 A new approach is both necessary and possible, It requires new meaning for 11practicality," new openness to change, new commitment to experimentation, new acceptance of the ability of youth, and indeed new social institutions and attitudes. • • to say nothing of competent human beings who are prepared to function in the new society. It is to search for these new attitudes and processes that the Atlanta Service-Learning Comference is convened. The Atlanta Service-Learning Conference On April 30, 1969, at Atlanta University, students, faculty members and agency officials met to discuss the f easibility of a proposal to convene a conference of six -months' duration, whose goal would be a thorough study of the concept of servi ce-learning in local appli cation. The participants voted to declare themselves the Atlanta ServiceLearni..rg Conference (ASLC), and to extend participant stat us to any agency, organization, or individual whose interests or activit i es have a bearing on the components of service-learning programs, or who have interests in the successful outcome of a loca l experiment in ser vice -learning . To date, s tudents , teachers, a dmi nistrators , educational inst itut ions, f ederal, regional, and local government agencies, and diverse other private and public agencies and i nsti tutions have indicated an a ctive, working i nterest i n t h e ASLC. ······ - - - ... ---· -· . ··- ·- --,.. ___... -·--- - ·-- ----- -------···- ~___ _________ _____ _ ..,. _ _ ____ The voi ce of J'outh has ser ved not ice that sat i s faction ca n' t be measured alone in dollars; that there is a need f or service and contribut ion beyond the at tainment of I mater ial success. I f these goals r equir e an investment l i n patience, then let us i nvest ; i f they r equir e money, 1 1 then let us spend. I i I ,- ·--·- - - -------- - ··- -- -··· . .... Daniel Evans Governor of Washington Keynote Address to 1968 Republican Convention ..• . .... Formally stat ed, the Conference is convened to combine the resoQ~ces of institutions and agencies concerned with the relationship between service experience and education, to explore and develop a conceptual framework and practical model for service-learning programs for universities 2 II II ' �a nd com.~unities, and to provide a structure for reflection and exc~ange 8,.::J.(mg various local community and education programs during a six-month period (June-December, 1969.) Careful study combined with actual involver.;.ent in service-learning programs should result in a comprehensive picture and plans for service-learning in communities and on campuses. To assist the participants in their study, several methods will be employed: I. Work Groups The Conference will function primarily through work groups, each undertaking to explore in depth and to produce a report on one assigned function of the concept of service-learning. Work groups will meet in individual sessions, subject to the Chairman 1 s call. The several compcnents of a service-learning program, as identified by the Conference and assigned as work-group top±cs, ,rith some q_uestions for their consideration, are~ 1. A Service Work Group What should be the size of the service rendered, in comparison with societal needs? What criteria defines relevant service? What service do students perform and wish to perform? What service can agencies accept? How long should service last? (summer, one term, full year or longer?) What kinds of agencies can accept youth in service? (Hospitals, Social Welfare, Educational, Religious, Governmental) Should service be full-time or part-time? 2. A Learning Work Group Can learning take place in roles which students consider socially irrelevant? How can students be helped to grasp the broader implications of what they learn by serving? What relationship exists between individual student goals and the , chose of alternative service opportunities? How can students be helped to raise the important, relevant q_uestions about their service experiences? How can interested, knowledgeable, and accessible faculty be identified and enlisted in the service-learning experience ? What implications of experience-based learning are pertinent to higher education in general? How, in fact, do students learn from experience ? How can it be . measured? How can community needs, student interests, and university programs interact to yield signif ica nt learning on the part of everyone involved? What methods and techniq_ues are most eff ective in pr eparing students for their job and community r oles ? 3 �3. A Curriculum and I nter-Institutional Work Gr oup What courses now exist which are relevant to service-learning programs as training for other forms of s ervice? What inter-institutional relations nm-r exist which could be utilized and developed for internships and program develop.rr:Brit? What effects will the service-lear ning experience have on student expectations in t he curriculum area? ·what effect on independent study or directed research ? What will be accredi ted and how much credit will be given and a sked? Will this req_uire cross-crediting among institutions? 4. A Research Work Group What i s t he t otal need for student manpower in Atlanta ? What is the total student manpower potential in Atla nta? Under what conditions could this manpower r esource be tapped for the benefit of everyone concerned? What changes in student attitudes occur during a servicelearni ng experience ? 5. A Fi nanc i al Work Gr oup In f unding service-learning programs , what share should be borne by the agency being served? by the student of educational institution? by the government ? How should the Atlant a Urban Corps be financed in the f ut ure? Wha t proportion of Work-Study f unds should be spent on off-campu:::; service activities ? 6. A Methods and Programs Work Gr oup What methods are used by other intern agencies i n the nation? What are t he rel eva nt pr ograms , proposed and developed, with in and without t he Atl anta area, that t he Conference should know about ? In what ways should the Conference relat e to other such programs? Work groups will marshall available resources , i mplement i deas and concepts, guide the progress of t he Conference, coor dinate i t s operations , st;1dy its conponent concerns , and make r ecommendati ons based upon thei r study and observat i ons toward t he creation of a comprehensive model fo~ a. continuing service- l earni ng operation i n Atlanta . II . Mont hly Meetings of the Conference Mont hl y sess i ons of t he entire Conference will of which one or more of the component concerns will Each work group wi l l have an oppor tunity t o chair a ference, and guide t he discussion as it sees f it to 4 be convened, at each be t he topi c of study. session of t he Confocus the attention of �the entire Conference on its particular component of service-learning. Each work group will organize its assigned session, calling in whatever additional resource people are needed to explore completely the topic of its concern. The schedule for subsequent sessions of the Conference is as follows: Early August Late August September October November Service Work Group Learning Work Group Curriculum Work Group Finance Work Group Research, Methods and Programs Work Groups Steering Committee December All persons attending the June 30 meeting are invited to select a work group in which to participate. Sign-up sheets are to be available in the June 30 afternoon seminars. The first work group meetings will be held at 11:00 Al~ on July 1. III. A Practical Laboratory Coincident with the launching of the Conference is the creation of the Atlanta Urban Corps, a group of 215 students serving full-time throughout tt.e summer with 16 city and 32 private non-profit organizations in Atlanta. Most Urban Corps members are funded on the basis of 8Cf'/o from the federal College Work-Study Program and 2oo/o from the employing agency. The Southern Regional Education Board under grants from the Economic Development Adminh:tration, Office of Economic Opportunity and Department of labor is providing support along with Atlanta businessmen and foundations to cover administrative costs and stipends for interns not eligible for the Work-Study Program. VISTA has assigned 25 associate positions to operate under Urban Corps auspices. j "- · l ,., _ ____ ., _ _ •. - - - - · · - · -· · . -·- - ·- ··~ - - _,., - - - - - - -· · - - -- - · - - - -- "The Urban Corps is the best example I've seen for young intelligent minds to grapple with the problems of the city." L___ Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. __ _ , . . . _.,.,,_.. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ l l I - - - - - - - - - - - - _j Sam Williams, director of the Atlanta Urban Corps, points to the rele vance of the educational aspect of the program as he describes the educational evaluation team wh ich is a part of his t wenty-memb er staff. Nine s taff members make up the evaluation team which is responsible for developing and assuring educational dimension of each intern's summer assignment. Five professors serve as counselors to lend technical and educational assistance to individual interns and groups of interns, and with one pro fessional and three student staff members in the office plan seminars and coordinate other means of helping the interns make their summer work experiences educationally relevant. Each student will be r equired to present to the Urban Corps a report on his internship at the completion of his service period. 5 , i �Thus, the Urban Corps, in addition to accomplishing needed tasks in the community and offering both a swnmer job and a relevant educational experience to its members, provides a practical service-learning laboratory for the Conference. Through observation of the Urban Corps and participation of its members, the Conference is assured the necessary dialogue between theory and practice. A steering committee, composed of work group chai:rmen and other conveners of the Conference, has been formed to provide direction for Conference activities and to maintain a balance among the componentsof the service-learning concept. The motivation for convening the Conferenc?. combines an enlightened self-interest with an appreciation of the -broader potential of the service-learning idea. For examples, agencies are interested in competent manpower to do their tasks. They are also searching for potential career employees. Students are seeking experience and financial aid. Educational institutions are seeking to improve the education offered to students, to make it more relevant, and to identify useful career possibilities for students. By means of a service-learning program, it is hoped that these and other objectives can be more fully met than if each were pursued in isolation. Sponsors of the Conference include the following organizations: The City of Atlanta The Atlanta Urban Corps Economic Opportunity Atlanta The Colleges and Universities of Atlanta Department of Health, Education and Welfare The Southern Regional Education Board Volunteers in Service to America The Peace Corps Further information on the Conference may be obtained fr:-m the sponsoring agency officials identified in the program and from i-ro)_":-;: group chairmen. The mailing address of the Conference is: Atlanta Service-Learning Conference Peace Corps, Southern Region, Ste. B- 70 275 Peachtree Street) N. E. Atlanta, Georgia 30303 6 �