[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Service_Learning.jpg” caption=”McMaster student Brooke MacKinnon greets students at Ayany Estate Primary School during a one-month service learning placement in Kenya. Photo courtesy of the Service Learning Department.”]Building homes in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, painting a school in Mexico and working with homeless shelters in Hamilton are just some of the experiential education opportunities offered by McMaster's Service Learning Department. Service learning gives students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge to real-life problems in their local community and around the world.

“Participating in a service learning activity allows for the student to connect with the subject material both intellectually and emotionally,” says Tamara Baldwin, coordinator of the Service Learning Department and residence life coordinator.

While most learning starts in the classroom through lectures and readings, Baldwin says that service learning projects help students connect with the subject matter on a more personal level. Service learning, unlike volunteer work, has specific learning objectives attached to each project.

“The depth of learning explodes when a student has the opportunity to truly interact with the topic of study and then reflect on it,” says Baldwin. “This type of learning results in a deeper understanding and commitment. This can be particularly powerful when looking at social justice and civic engagement topics.”

Placements range from one day to long-term assignments. The Service Learning Department offers a Reading Week Series that assigns students to projects in various North American locations. The department also offers a One-Time Placement program in which groups of students can participate in a local community project.

“Service learning opened my eyes to the community surrounding McMaster and the many social problems you rarely get a chance to encounter as a student,” says McMaster student Julie Creen, who participated in a service learning project in Hamilton during Reading Week this year. “It only takes a few hours to recognize your desire to become interested, involved and invested in the community you live in.”