SERVICELEARNING

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SERVICE-LEARNING
In Service-Learning, service becomes an integral
part of learning. S-L is not just applying
subject knowledge to analyse/solve community
problems/issues. It is not a theory and
practical class in a laboratory which involves
the head and the hand. It is much more than
that since it is aimed at transforming the
mindset and attitudes of the learner thro
developing his/her analytical and reflective
skills i.e., involving the heart. Conscious
effort is taken to encourage the learner to
reflect on the experiences gained in community
interactions.
LEARNING
SERVICE
Action
Reflection
Linking class-room learning to community service
enriches and enhances the quality and
effectiveness of both the processes.
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• S-L benefits the learner
• When service becomes an integral part of academic
  programme, learning becomes
• purposeful and meaningful
• experiential relating to people and life
  situations
• transformative in that it changes the mindset and
  attitudes of the learner
• interactive and cooperative benefiting all
  involved

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• S-L benefits the society
• As efforts are taken by the learners in
  collaboration with the service agencies
• to understand the nature of the problems (survey,
  research)
• to implement community development works
• to establish rapport between local people and
  government agencies
• to sensitize the people about the social issues
  and measures to be taken to solve the problems
• to raise the economic status of the people
  through income generating schemes

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• S-L benefits the Service Agency
• Community service agencies are able to realise
  their objectives and provide better service to
  the community in collaboration with the student
  volunteers and teachers. Some of the possible
  areas of collaboration are
• conducting surveys and preparing reports on the
  social issues
• using the expertise of the faculty for training
  and research
• using the manpower of student volunteers for
  field work

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Collaborative and co-operative effort of the
learner, the target group and the service
agencies results in a synergic effect enhancing
the benefits for all the three.
College / University
TargetCommunity
Service Agencies
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Service-Learning and Leadership S-L moulds and
shapes future leaders. It promotes leadership
among students/teachers and the members of the
community (case studies). Students of S-L are
better equipped as leaders to act as transforming
agents of society. They not only gain knowledge
and skill but also a sense of social
responsibility and commitment to act as change
agents. Their own personality develops and their
interpersonal skill is enhanced working in the
community. Those who are timid and normally
prefer to be at the back, are made to take up
specific roles / responsibilities which give them
opportunity to realise their own potentials and
enable them come out of their shell. Working in
smaller groups helps build team spirit and
develop better organising ability. They discover
their own hidden talents and abilities and gain
confidence to improve them further and use them
for the benefit of the community.
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Success stories of three individuals are
elaborated to show as testimony for developing
leadership through S-L.
Ms. Queen Jansi Rani Student Volunteer Mrs.
Shyamala faculty in-charge of Extension
Karunakara Pandian Programme at Lady Doak
College Mrs. Mookammal one of the beneficiaries
of the College Literacy Programme at
Karuppayoorani
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Case Study Success story of a learner
Queen Jansi Rani, a student volunteer enlightened
through Service Learning to become a social
activist. Queen Jansi Rani, a commerce graduate
of Lady Doak College distinguished as one of our
outstanding alumnae by her committed service to
socially discriminated inhabitants of a small
village near Madurai. During her student days,
she was a very active volunteer of our outreach
programme and enthusiastically participated in
the 10 days rural camp in the village named
Viralipatti. Having been exposed to the needs
and socio economic conditions of the villagers,
she decided to go back to the same village after
her graduation and started her work living as one
among them. In the Indian cultural set up, a
young woman to live alone in a new place is
unacceptable and risky. But she dared to do that
because of her determination and commitment for
the upliftment of the village community.
Initially she had to face a lot of difficulties
in convincing the villagers as well as the
Government officials and social service agencies.
But gradually she got acceptance and co-operation
from the rural community and was also able to
convince the government officials in getting
certain facilities and schemes to the
village.  She organised specific programmes to
cater to the needs of village men, women and
children. She collaborated with the school
teachers and introduced self development program
for children. She herself involved in training
them and in the evening hours she tutored weak
students in their studies. She organized the
village women into a society and enabled them to
initiate small saving schemes. She helped them to
procure milking cows availing bank loans and
established a co-operative milk society. She was
able to convince the government officials and got
housing scheme sanctioned for about 25-30
villagers who had no housing. She mobilized funds
from her friends, teachers and her Alma mater to
support her work and carried on her mission
cheerfully amidst financial constraints and other
difficulties. Her courage and trust in God,
sustained her in all her ventures and she emerged
as an accomplished woman leader through her
service.
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Ms. Queen Jansi Rani with the villagers and
administrative officers
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Demonstration by school children guided by Ms.
Queen Jansi Rani
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Case Study Success story of a Rural woman
Mrs. Mookammal, an empowered rural woman
leader College Literacy programme was an
innovative venture of Lady Doak College in the
adopted village Karuppayoorani. The main
objective of the programme was to empower the
rural people particularly women and school
dropouts through functional literacy. Over a
period of nearly 10 years, a selected group of
student volunteers worked among the villagers
teaching them basically to read and write in
addition to sensitizing them on health,
environmental and other social issues. One of the
beneficiaries of this programme, Mrs. Mookammal,
an illiterate rural woman from a Dalit background
emerged as an outstanding leader. Mookammal and a
few other women got trained first to read and
write by our students. She took keen interest in
the literacy programme and encouraged more women
to participate and get benefited. Eventually she
developed as a local leader to organize the
activities of the College Literacy Programme unit
and acted as a laison between the villagers and
our student volunteers. With the motivation and
support of College Literacy Programm, she was
able to start a registered association for women
namely Veerapandi Mathar Sangam and to carry on
the developmental activities of the association
through mobilization of funds. Through the
association certain skill training programme were
conducted so that the women could initiate some
income generating activities at micro level
leading to economic empowerment. Later she was
elected as a Counsellor of the village Panchayat.
In one or two instances she had been invited to
address the students sharing her experience and
success story. She has become an accepted leader
of the community and renders outstanding service
for the upliftment of her village.
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Mrs. Mookammal in front of Womens Welfare
Association of Veerapandiyan Nagar
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Mrs. Mookammals House at Karuppayoorani
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Case Study Success story of a S-L Teacher
Mrs. Shyamala Karunakara Pandian, an Empowered
Woman Leader Mrs. Shyamala Karunakara Pandian,
a senior professor of Economics has dynamically
involved herself in varied service programmes of
the college for a period of around 30 years. With
her rich experience and training in community
development works, she has emerged as a woman
leader. She showed keen interest and commitment
in extending services to the local community
holding key posts such as Programme officer, NSS
Co-ordinator, College Literacy Programme
Co-ordinator and Co-ordinator of Extension
programmes in the College. Leadership training
in National Service Scheme and Training at
SEARSOLIN Cagayan Deorocity, Philippines
strengthened and equipped her with further
knowledge and leadership qualities. She was
invited to be one of the resource persons to
conduct training programmes in Gender
Sensitisation and Human Rights for the State
Police officials. She has been sharing her
expertise and time with the Family Planning
Association of India, a non-governmental
organization and it has raised her status from an
ordinary member to Executive member, Hon
Treasurer and Hon Secretary. After her
retirement she continues to render relentless
service as Hon Secretary to the Family Planning
Association of India which is an evidence for
her dynamic leadership and social commitment.
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Mrs. Shyamalas interaction with the villagers