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Service-Learning

At WKU curricular service-learning is a course-based, credit-bearing educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets a community need and reflect on their service activity as a means of gaining a deeper understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, an enhanced sense of social responsibility and/or a greater interest in an understanding of community life.

 

Current Service-Learning Projects include:

Eight WKU pre-medical students from the department of Biology spent two weeks during the Winter Term in the impoverished are of Kasigau, Kenya helping assist in medical clinics. Three Bowling Green area physicians, along with the students and a Biology professor, attended over 1000 patients during their 7 day clinic in the villages of Rukanga, Buguta, and Makwasinyi. Each evening students spent time together reflecting on the challenges and rewards of the day.   For many of the Kenyans, this was the first time that they had ever seen a doctor. Students additionally conducted two workshops in the village of Rukanga.  For the children, toothbrushes were given out to each child along with a talk about proper oral health care, and for the adults of the community, diabetes screenings were performed following an educational workshop on the disease.  WKU’s departments of Biology and Sociology have been partnering with the villages in this area for ~4 years to develop a sustainable, ecologically-sound wildlife-based economic model on the community-owned Kasigau Ranch. This work is part of a larger vision of community development that also includes WKU’s Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) Kenyan Basket Project where profits from the sale of local baskets in the US are returned to the community and pay for school fees and seed grain. This program, “Partners in Caring: Medicine in Kenya” provides a vital missing link in community building by providing for the health needs of the people.

One of Miss Lisa K. Miller's ENG 100 classes at Bowling Green Community College is engaging in a Service Learning Project with Potter Children's Home and Family Ministries. Miss Miller's students, most of whom are non-native English speakers, will be assisting with various projects each Wednesday afternoon. Planned projects include tutoring the residents, who attend public schools, stocking and shelving in the pantry, greeting visitors at reception, serving as office help, or even cleaning the bleachers in the new gym.  The BGCC students will then be using their experiences for writing assignments and journaling for the course.

Below, please find links to the:

• Faculty/Staff Service-Learning Handbook
• Community Partner Service-Learning Handbook
• Student Service-Learning Handbook

Service-Learning Resources can be found along with other online resources by clicking here

If you need further information or assistance, please contact Cheryl Kirby-Stokes, Service-Learning Coordinator, at 270-782-0653 or at cheryl.kirby-stokes@wku.edu.