Here are minutes from our recent meeting on international service-learning through Westminster.  Look particularly at the questions at the end.  How do we move forward?  What are the resources we should pursue?

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 Who is doing what where?

Africa

·         Tyler O’Donnell (student)—worked with street kids in South Africa last summer through the Joshua Project.

·         Brianna Koucos (Career Services)—will be in Kenya over winter break, climbing Kilimanjaro and visiting Kenyan organizations that benefit from funds raised through sponsoring the Kilimanjaro climb. (Organization name?)

·         Steve Hurlbut (Management)—several of Steve’s students are working on a microfinance project in Kenya through YouthLinc.  Steve is a former Peace Corps Volunteer in West Africa (Burkina Faso?)

·         Ashley Pederson (student, Center for Civic Engagement employee)—service in Kenya during summer 07 through YouthLinc.

·         Ashley Haines (student)—service in Kenya during summer 06 through YouthLinc.

·         Ben Rackham (student)—service in Kenya during summer 07 through YouthLinc.

·         Colleen Sandor (Psychology)—worked with AIDS orphans in Tanzania, winter 06.

·         Heidi Van Ert (Education)—worked in Ghana during 06-07 academic year on training teachers.

·         Social Science Club—raising funds and acquiring supplies to help build a school in Southern Sudan.

Mexico, Central, and South America

·         Peter Ingle (education)—led two YouthLinc trips to Mexico where volunteers worked with a school for students with developmental disabilities.

·         Vicki Whiting (business)—led business students on a humanitarian aid trip to Peru.

·         Deyanira Ariza-Velasco (Spanish)—the Spanish major is considering a study abroad requirement.

World-wide

·         Ginny-Beth Joiner and Mark Ferne (student life)—responsible for study abroad activities on campus.  Each year several Westminster students participate in a study-abroad experience that includes service.

·         Tim Dolan (fellowships and undergraduate research)—successful applicants for fellowships usually have international experience, which is of particular value when it includes some sort of service or civic engagement experience.

·         Emily Shannon (student)—lives in England, substantial international experience, looking for more opportunities.

Global issues in the United States

·         Susan Arsht (business)—Each year works with the Global Village project at Lehigh University.  Global Village brings NGO leaders from around the world to Lehigh for training in leadership, management, and social change.

·         Georgia White (business)—learning community students doing service-learning with refugee children at Mountain View School and the Sorenson Multicultural Center.

·         Jan Saeed (spiritual life)—experience working with refugees and immigrants through local faith communities; leading a spring break trip to the Navajo nation which includes service-learning.

 Key questions/issues

The questions that arose in our meeting fell into two general categories:

Learning

·         How do we ensure that students who do international work learn from the service, as opposed to doing the service in a way that reinforces their expectations about  the “neediness” of people in developing nations? (Peter Ingle, et al.)

·         What service-learning opportunities exist for faculty teaching courses that include international/global issues, particularly if those courses require technical knowledge, as does International Economics? (Michael Mamo, economics)

·         How do international service and civic engagement experiences fit into the development of students?  Into the curriculum of the college? Into its learning goals?

·         How do we assess this stuff?

Logistics

·         Given the size of the college, should we create a few dedicated international partnerships?  Or, given the culture of the college, should we try to foster as many partnerships as possible?  If just a few partnerships, with whom?  If lots of partnerships, how do we ensure quality and safety?

·         How does international humanitarian work fit into already existing international activities on campus, particularly international trips through the school of business, and international May Term classes?

·         If the campus values international experience, how do we help students afford it?  Get credit for it?

·         Who are the faculty and staff who will sustain it?  Should this be an important component of the campus’ new international initiative?