Career Options Magazine

Curricular: Part of a course

At Huron University College, for example, students enrolled in the second-year English course “Victorian Literature: Major Authors” can opt to participate in a community-based learning project with Frontier College, a national non-profit organization that is focused on helping children and adults learn how to read and write. In the course, students study literacy issues in the Victorian era and draw links to modern society. They are expected to volunteer with Frontier College for two to five hours per week, and one of their assignments is a paper that explains what they learned in school and in the community.

By the end of the volunteer placement, students have acquired practice with teaching methods and experience working with children in an academic environment, as well as meeting the outcomes specified in the course. For Dennis Mungar, working with Frontier College helped him later during teacher’s college: “My CBL experience has been a great help to me in my young teaching career. Teaching is all about connecting theory and practice, and CBL gave me the head start I needed to become the best teacher that I can be.”

Co-curricular: Facilitated by the school but no credits are obtained

Many schools have alternative spring break programs in which students can participate. Sharon Lam, a Huron student, travelled to Honduras in 2007 with a group of 10 other students and a faculty member. Sharon learned how to speak Spanish, how to fundraise in a group, and how to teach students from other cultures, as well as other valuable cross-cultural skills. “While we were staying in the city of Copán, we lived, ate, worked and played with the local people,” says Sharon. “It’s when you immerse yourself fully in this way that you begin to develop some actual understanding of the people and the dynamics of a society.”

Independent: Your own project or volunteering

Andrea Cole, a student at the University of Western Ontario, started a program to get teaching experience working with children aged nine to 15. Inspired by what she was learning in her writing course at Huron University College, Andrea decided to create her own tutoring program through the London Public Library. “I phoned and offered my services as a volunteer,” she says. “It took over a month to get in contact with the right people and get my proposal approved, but it was worth it. The best thing I could have done for myself was to create a program that was specific to the type of experience I needed to gain.”

For two hours a week over two years, Andrea scheduled appointments with students and their parents to review anything from a speech to an essay, in both English and French. Tutoring not only helped Andrea get accepted into teacher’s college, it also added experience to her resume and gave her an enormous sense of satisfaction. From working with children from various backgrounds, Andrea has also developed cross-cultural skills and experience that will help her teach in multicultural classrooms. “The most important thing I learned was how to communicate effectively, and instruct without bias,” says Andrea. “I probably learned more from my students and their parents than they did from me. I have no doubt that being open to different cultures will become increasingly important in today’s society.” CO

How to make the most of community-based learning opportunities

1. Assess yourself and your career goals: Think about the types of careers that interest you and the skills and experience you would like to develop. Come up with a list of two or three areas you would like to explore.
2. Connect with your school: Contact someone at your college or university to find out about the opportunities offered. A list of contacts for many schools in Canada is available on the Canadian Alliance for Community Service Learning website: http://www.communityservicelearning.ca/en/partnerships.htm
3. Make the commitment: Make sure to allocate time to take part in your community-based learning activities. Also, keep a journal to log your experiences and thoughts to reflect upon later.
4. Reap the rewards: Make sure to feature your community-based learning activities prominently in your resume and cover letter.

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