The Service Learning Project we did was to inform others of the situation Planned Parenthood faced with their funding being cut. We set up a station at Anthony's Restaurant with flyers and handouts that talked about planned Parenthood. We described what Planned Parenthood services were and how the state funding was used. Many people had the same misconceptions about Planned Parenthood as we did. We set up a computer to allow people to sign petitions and donate for the cause. We learned what others thought surrounding the issue. A majority of the people agreed that Planned Parenthood should not be cut due to the immense consequences it would cause for underprivileged women.
Gina Reflection: I felt good about informing others of the situation Planned Parenthood was in, especially since many people did not know the facts surrounding this issue. There were many misconceptions about what the services were provided and once we talked to people about the services they were more open to helping out and signing petitions. This service learning project could not be done by elementary school students but I do think service learning projects would be helpful for a hands on learning experience. The project would have to be age appropriate and something the students would be interested in. I learned a lot about the controversy around Planned Parenthood and am glad I chose this project.
Kali Reflection: I really enjoyed spending time researching such an important topic and then being able to educate others about the issue. I feel that Planned Parenthood's efforts are widely misunderstood and so it was nice to be able to support them and gain support from others. I do think that service learning is a useful teaching strategy because it not only gives us the opportunity to educate ourselves about important topics but it also gets students actively involved in the topic. It is also a good teaching strategy because the groups in the class can then educate others about their topics and service learning projects rather than listening to a teacher lecture. I definitely would do a project like this in the future with my students, however with a topic that would be more age appropriate and relatable. I would hope to try to do projects like this early in my teaching career because I think it is a better way to teach students about important issues. I do not think that I would change this project because I not only learned a lot about my topic and had an opportunity to get involved but also learned a lot about other important topics.
Amanda's Reflection: I enjoyed working with my peers to inform the public about Planned Parenthood. It was so interesting to learn that people in society form opinions over situations they aren't actually aware about. It seemed as though most people were pro PPH budget cuts until they were informed about all of the positive things that Planned Parenthood provides for our women and families. At Anthony's restaurant, we set up a table and handed out informative pamphlets that were sent to us by PPH themselves. I felt this was beneficial because it allowed us to get out there and educate and feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. Service Learning projects are an effecting teaching strategy and I plan to have my students participate in one in the future, age appropriate and grade level appropriate. It not only encourages learning, it encourages social interaction and taking action in social issues. I learned a lot from doing this Service Learning project and I intend to continue educating society about this matter until its resolved.
