Service-Learning

Activity 1.4 Reflection:

• Consider the effectiveness of the project, considering each component and reflecting on your learning experience as well as the school or community.

The effectiveness of this project was necessary in this school as I have noticed a number of learners who suffer from mental health and this project was aimed to assist the learners in handling their mental health and to encourage learners who don’t suffer with mental health to play a role in their peer’s lives by assisting them in ways that they could such as just asking them how they feel doing general check-ups on their friends. Asking their friends if they want a hug or high five. Trying to make your peer laugh. It’s the simple gestures that helps a learner that is suffering going through something deep to make them feel important, special and happy.

• How has service-learning changed you personally?

It allowed me to reach out to the community and the learners and it definitely made me a better person by allowing me to open my heart and giving it my best to support and help the learners when I can. I feel it allowed me to build a better relationship with the learners as the learners connected with me and opened up to me, by them doing this it allowed me to get an understanding of the learners are going through and this made me get emotional.

• How has service developed you professionally? What new knowledge, skills and/or attitudes have you gained?

I got to learn and understand how learners cope with their mental health. I learnt about the different strategies or methods that they can take to do better. I learnt to be patient, calm and welcoming towards the learners and their difficulties with regards to their mental health. I learnt to have a positive attitude towards helping those that suffer with mental health and a helpful attitude towards trying to find solutions for those that are suffering.

• Describe the benefit of this initiative to the school and comment on its sustainability.

The benefit of this initiative is that the teachers got to understand what the learners are going through and therefore the teachers could react to the learners by trying to assist their situations and giving them the support that they need. The teachers can identify if the learners need to see the school psychologist or if they should reach out to the parents to see what going on in their homes and furthermore probably help the parents or give and show them that you are willing to step in and assist where you can.