My volunteer experience with Atlanta Mission (October 2020)
When I’m not working on assignments or at work, I try to volunteer two or three times a month. Homelessness in one of this nation’s richest countries should not be happening or in any country for that matter, however, it is happening. I chose this population because at one time I too was facing homelessness with my two young daughters. I was going through a horrible divorce with two young children, struggling to make ends meet. I had to chose between which bills to pay, and eating, but I always made sure my children ate. My children slept at friends houses while I would work multiple jobs to pay rent. Many nights I didn’t have the strength to make it in the apartment and fell asleep in the parking lot in my car. During a volunteer session at Atlanta mission I encountered a young woman who was in a similar situation as mine. We talked, we shared our stories, and I gave her my number. She reached out and told me she was at her wits ends. I offered to meet with her, brought lunch, toys, and a few outfits for her and her two children and came up with a plan. She only needed help, help she felt she wasn’t getting. She was trying to work but couldn’t afford child care and lost her job. Between myself and my family, we’ve helped out with babysitting when she was at work. She has gotten back on her feet and the children are in daycare and she has even gotten a car and small apartment and has told me that I was sent into their lives at the right time. She is currently enrolled in night classes to become a Medical Assistant so that she can better provide for her family. When she completes her program, my family and I will be there at her graduation cheering her on. It is my hope that she will return back to the shelter to encourage other women and be a positive role model for women and children that are trying to better themselves.
Links:
E-book: vitalsource.com Login: hchung925@gmail.com Password: Chip1053*
Instructions for the assignment:
Getting Started
During the NUR-465 course, you will be actively engaged in conducting a community assessment in your local region. The assessment of an at-risk population and specific geographical area will serve as the foundation for a faculty-guided practice experience in population-focused health. Practicum-related experiences will be integrated throughout the course. In this discussion, you will re-visit the service learning project you chose earlier in the program. If you have not yet taken NUR-335 Foundations for Professional Practice, reflect back to a time of volunteering with an at-risk population. You will share the information with the class through a discussion. Because valuable learning occurs through engagement with peers and the exchange of ideas, you will review the assessment findings of your peers and provide substantive feedback.
Upon successful completion of these activities, you will be able to:
- Share your findings from a Service Learning experience.
- Gain insight into other types of experiences that are considered Service Learning.
Resources
- E-Book chapter: Community As Partner: Theory and Practice in Nursing
- Text: Public Health Nursing: Population-centered Health Care in the Community
Background Information
Service-learning activities are a rich learning tool in higher education.
According to Dr. Stephanie Delaney (2015), students who participate in some form of community service tied to their coursework get more out of the material. They are also more likely to complete their degrees.
Instructions
- Review the appropriate rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
- Consider your previous experience with service-learning.
- Prepare to discuss the following prompts:
- Have any of the learning experiences changed your perception of the role of a leader in changing the world for at-risk individuals?
- In light of what you have learned at IWU, has your attitude regarding your responsibility to care for the poor and at-risk changed?
- Explain the term social justice by researching the subject. Your text will provide a good starting point.
- What changes will you be making in your nursing care as a result of what you have learned at IWU?
- Research and find at least one current scholarly source to support your explanations and insights.
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