“Don’t ask what the world needs.” This quote from Howard Thurman might seemingly contradict what I know about service learning. However, it continues, “Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Students involved in service learning are given a unique opportunity to find and define what makes them come alive.
I've seen students 'wake up' to their own abilities right in the middle of a meaningful service project. For example, one young man----a class clown whose often crude mouth had no 'off' button----learned that the little kids he was tutoring were entertained and interested in everything he had to say. His captive audience (the young students he was mentoring and tutoring during a service-learning project) gave him the attention he so desired and led him to the realization that he had something positive to offer. He began searching for jobs allowing him to work with young children and has put 'teaching' at the top of his possible career choices list. Had our reading class only involved worksheets or textbooks, he may never have had the opportunity to make this discovery.
What does the world need? Opportunities for students to find out what makes them come alive!
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