Learning outside of the classroom: The impact of MacServe on student and community development
Over reading week 2016, close to 100 McMaster students visited six different communities focused on a different aspect of community development. Students in Hamilton tackled the issue of youth poverty; in Ottawa, students studied the different dimensions of our legal system; those who went to Montreal spent time learning about advocacy and inclusion; the Vancouver group focused on the dynamics of food security; in New Orleans students investigated disaster and resiliency; and participants who traveled to the Dominican Republic spent their time discovering some of the social determinants of health.
More than just a trip, students participating in MacServe gain valuable insight and learning. Students forge new relationships, reflect on their own actions and perceptions, and participate in projects that provide a demonstrable impact in host communities. For some students, participation in a MacServe program has been life changing; such is the case for Zsuzsi Fodor, a McMaster Arts & Science graduate and currently working as a Community Food Hub Specialist for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Zsuzsi currently helps educate student participants who come to Vancouver through MacServe, but was originally involved during the 2008 reading week trip to Vancouver. On this trip, Zsuzsi discovered a passion for food security, which in turn impacted her undergraduate thesis, her involvement in the greater Hamilton community as a food security advocate, and ultimately led her to pursue a Masters in Urban Planning at the University of British Columbia. As Zsuzsi succinctly put it when asked why MacServe was so influential in her life, and why she encourages current students to participate, she states “for me, [experiential learning] is the only way it makes sense to learn.”
The impact of MacServe is best illustrated by the students themselves, whose experiences are shared in the MacServe Reading Week Storify, and by past participants like Zsuzsi whose career path was shaped, in-part, by their participation in a MacServe program.
Students still have an opportunity to get involved this year through the MacServe Engage program. MacServe Engage is a local, national, or global service learning trip focused on living in, learning about, and critically evaluating issues in a host community. This year, MacServe Engage participants will be staying in Hamilton, or travelling to Manitoulin Island or Costa Rica for ten days to immerse themselves in a different culture and learn through workshops, reflections, and hands-on experience helping the community.
The submission deadline for MacServe Engage has been extended until March 18, and application details can be found on OSCARplus. More information about MacServe Engage, and other service-learning opportunities, can be found online.
