SPAN 301S: Service Learning in the Chicano / Latino Community
Course description
This course is part of your Spanish language learning experience, and offers you the opportunity to interact in a personal way with members of the local Latino community, thereby enriching your understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language. As a community-based learning experience, the course provides students with career-related experience working collaboratively with community agencies to address community concerns / issues.
Reflective Narrative
My service learning site was a transitional housing site for women and children in Salinas, CA. Here, I conducted workshops for children who have experienced trauma during their lifetime and are in transitional housing for a safe space. Prior to conducting these workshops, I would meet with art therapist Deborah Jacroux, where she would mentor my group and I how to properly carry out these workshops. The workshops we would utilize were from “A Window Between Worlds'' which integrates trauma-informed art workshops into healing and advocacy work. Deborah Jacroux would explain that we had to actively listen and respond to the stories and experiences shared. She would also elaborate on best ways to approach trauma survivors and participate in workshops. During my Service Learning experience I was moved by the children I would meet with twice a week. I loved this program so much that I still volunteered after this course for the remainder of the year.
One workshop that remained with me was “Heart Stories.” During this workshop, I emphasized to the children that the intent was to listen to their hearts, value their stories, and to share, as others may want to hear their stories. This workshop was difficult for myself because I had developed a relationship with the children at this point of the semester so they were a lot more open with me. I started by asking questions such as “if your heart was a color today, what color would it be and why” and “what makes your heart feel scared.” I wanted to end the exercise on a more positive note so towards the end I asked questions such as “what makes your heart strong” and “what makes your heart feel safe” for them to reflect on what things they may think of when they are scared and to empower themselves. I participated in this activity as well so the children may see that I too would share my heart story. My heart was a flower, symbolic of the transitions of seasons a flower may go through as we do in life. I chose the color blue, as I was sad this was transitional housing and I knew they would be going off to better places, but also happy that their lives were transitioning for the better like a flower does when it blooms. I told them I hoped they would all bloom into whatever flower or other plant they may want to be.
This experience taught me the importance of acknowledging children in the community as much as adults. I see that we hyperfocus on their physical well being during difficult times that there is not always sufficient acknowledgement of their psychological well being. Ideally, I would love for no child to experience trauma. However, that is not always the case and implementing workshops can help heal the trauma some of them may experience and help them grow for their future endeavors.
Course description
This course is part of your Spanish language learning experience, and offers you the opportunity to interact in a personal way with members of the local Latino community, thereby enriching your understanding of Hispanic cultures and the Spanish language. As a community-based learning experience, the course provides students with career-related experience working collaboratively with community agencies to address community concerns / issues.
Reflective Narrative
My service learning site was a transitional housing site for women and children in Salinas, CA. Here, I conducted workshops for children who have experienced trauma during their lifetime and are in transitional housing for a safe space. Prior to conducting these workshops, I would meet with art therapist Deborah Jacroux, where she would mentor my group and I how to properly carry out these workshops. The workshops we would utilize were from “A Window Between Worlds'' which integrates trauma-informed art workshops into healing and advocacy work. Deborah Jacroux would explain that we had to actively listen and respond to the stories and experiences shared. She would also elaborate on best ways to approach trauma survivors and participate in workshops. During my Service Learning experience I was moved by the children I would meet with twice a week. I loved this program so much that I still volunteered after this course for the remainder of the year.
One workshop that remained with me was “Heart Stories.” During this workshop, I emphasized to the children that the intent was to listen to their hearts, value their stories, and to share, as others may want to hear their stories. This workshop was difficult for myself because I had developed a relationship with the children at this point of the semester so they were a lot more open with me. I started by asking questions such as “if your heart was a color today, what color would it be and why” and “what makes your heart feel scared.” I wanted to end the exercise on a more positive note so towards the end I asked questions such as “what makes your heart strong” and “what makes your heart feel safe” for them to reflect on what things they may think of when they are scared and to empower themselves. I participated in this activity as well so the children may see that I too would share my heart story. My heart was a flower, symbolic of the transitions of seasons a flower may go through as we do in life. I chose the color blue, as I was sad this was transitional housing and I knew they would be going off to better places, but also happy that their lives were transitioning for the better like a flower does when it blooms. I told them I hoped they would all bloom into whatever flower or other plant they may want to be.
This experience taught me the importance of acknowledging children in the community as much as adults. I see that we hyperfocus on their physical well being during difficult times that there is not always sufficient acknowledgement of their psychological well being. Ideally, I would love for no child to experience trauma. However, that is not always the case and implementing workshops can help heal the trauma some of them may experience and help them grow for their future endeavors.