Reflection from Dr. Anna Marie Medina, Psychology

I became involved in Service-Learning in 2007, when I added it as a component to my Emotion Seminar. Since that time, and in light of the impact the Service-Learning has on students, I’ve added Service-Learning to two additional courses (General Psychology and Marriage & Family). 

                I’ve found that students think more about material that might otherwise be memorized for a test and subsequently forgotten.  For example, this semester alone a student in General Psychology acknowledged that his mentally categorizing a child as “just a bad kid” was a great illustration of the fundamental attribution error. 

                Another student, in Emotion, referenced a paper related to prefrontal regulation of amygdale activity in fear and rage responses, when describing a highly impulsive and angry child with whom he was working. In-class discussions about service-learning experiences have revealed that students become more reflective about the motives and meanings in the behavior they observe in others – and themselves.

                In one class last year, a student told me that the Service-Learning experience had made her angry with me. I was intrigued. In exploring this with her, she described a situation in which a young girl was in juvenile detention through very unhappy circumstances. 

                “It’s like she’s being punished, and it’s not her fault. It’s just not fair.” When I agreed that it was incredibly unfair, she blurted something along the lines of, “You should have told us. You should have warned us that it’s not fair.” Now, I’m sure this student had heard, as we all have, the old, “Life’s not fair.” But to really see that bad things can happen to good, sweet kids, and that there is no happy ending for many of them, is to have a powerful experience of “Life’s not fair."

                I’ve found that my use of student Service-Learning experiences as touchstone examples in class increases engagement with course content.  It is not uncommon for students to linger after class to ask or comment about behavior they have seen at Service Learning – behavior they are trying to understand. Students seem to find compelling the idea that their personal service-learning experiences can be understood through a particular lens - the material covered in class.

                In this way, service-learning functions very much as a circular classroom, affecting many students at least as much as those students affect the agencies they serve.

                As faculty, we agree to uphold the mission of the university. We are committed to developing the “imagination, intelligence, and moral judgment” of our students. We further “try to provide for our students some understanding of contemporary civilization; and we invite them to reflect with us on the problems and possibilities of a scientific age, the ideological differences that separate the peoples of the world, and the rights and responsibilities that come from commitment to a free society.” For myself, I find Service-Learning to be the most powerful pedagogical tool I have as I try to meet these goals

Deck the Halls with LED lights. . .

This is the time of year when everyone starts bringing boxes up from the basement or down from the attic, each filled with Christmas decorations. As you dig through the boxes filled with miscellaneous items the big concern is how many of your Christmas lights from last year still work. As you sort through the lights, plugging them in to test them, you start to make a pile of light strings that do not work anymore. What is the next step, throw them in the garbage?

Instead of throwing your old Christmas lights in the garbage send them in to be recycled for free! Holidayleds.com now takes old light strings, recycles them, and gives you 25% off your next order!

 Once holidayleds.com receives your old lights they will be processed and stripped of any material that cannot be recycled (i.e. loose bulbs). Once they have collected enough material they send them to a 3^rd party recycling facility located in Jackson, MI. This company puts the lights through a commercial shredder, which chops the lights into little pieces. These pieces are then further processed and sorted into the various components that make up the glass.

How do I recycle my lights?

1)      Send your old lights into the address below, and they will e-mail you a coupon for 25% off. If you want your coupon before you make your order this is the way to go. However, it may take 3-4 weeks to get your order.

OR

2)      Purchase your LED lights at HolidayLEDs.com. When you receive your order send back your old lights for recycling with a copy of your HolidayLEDs.com order and they will 25% of your total purchase amount.

If you are interested please check the following website out: http://www.holidayleds.com/holidayledscom_christmas_light_recycling_program

Mailing Address:

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
118 Rosehill Dr.
Suite 1
Jackson, MI 49202

Thanksgiving Doesn't Always = Tofurkey

By Gina Meucci

Whether you are headed home for a long thanksgiving break, or expecting a household full of people, Thanksgiving can be a stressful and cumbersome holiday. If your Thanksgiving is like mine, full of family and friends, it is a great time to get together and be thankful. Instead of your Thanksgiving being a burden full of chores and errands this year let it be fun and merry.  Like most holidays, one way that you can avoid all the last minute errands and grocery trips, is to plan ahead.

One way to have an eco-friendly Thanksgiving is to shop wisely for your turkey.  This doesn’t mean you have to serve tofurkey at dinner, but there are ways to enjoy thanksgiving eating a turkey that is healthy for you and the environment.

The key to this is to go local. It is simple in that the fewer miles between farm and plate, the less energy must be expended on transportation. You may have not heard of a local turkey farm but there are plenty of small farms that are willing to match your thanksgiving turkey. Find a turkey farm in your area by searching HERE.

Another way to practice an eco-friendly Thanksgiving is stay close to home. The holidays are known for having packed airports so instead of traveling this year start a new tradition with family and friends who live close to you. If you have to travel try getting there by train. It is far better for the environment than air travel or your personnel vehicle.

Other Thanksgiving tips:

-          Buy food items that use the least amount of packaging and

-           look for items that contain recycled post-consumer content.

-          Make sure you review your food list multiple times before going to the store to reduce the number of times you drive there.

-          Bring reusable bags to the store with you.

-          Instead of using plastic forks and paper plates, use your flatware for dinner which is better for the environment.

-          On thanksgiving turn down the heat, because all the cooking you do will heat the house, anticipate the oven warmth.

-          Suggest carpooling to your friends who are going to the same place and live close-by.

-          For leftovers use reusable containers.

Washington State Chef of the Year Visits Campus Kids

By: Katie Kaiser

Campus Kids had a special visitor last week- Washington state’s 2011 chef of the year Elijah Dalager.  He came to share his story and a healthy meal with the youth of the program.  Campus Kids invited Dalager to the program as a part of the new Dare to Dream initiative.  Dare to Dream challenges program staff to build a culture of creativity and motivation by utilizing resources from the University and Spokane community so that the kids can begin to imagine a bright future for themselves. 

Like many students, Dalager struggled in the traditional school subjects.  “I didn’t like to read,” he confessed “and I was terrible at math.”  His passion for cooking was ignited during his time as a student at the Skill Center, an alternative Spokane public high school.  “Now I love to read my cookbooks, and I use math every day at work.”  He encouraged the kids to stick with school and seek out their own passions offering himself as an example of a success story. 

Dalager had the Campus Kids’ undivided attention as he instructed them how to make orange infused popcorn and turkey pinwheel wraps.  The kids enthusiastically ate their creations at the end.  The food was provided with funding from the Florence Wasmer Fund for Children and Families.  For the second year in a row, the Mentoring Programs received a grant from the Wasmer Fund to provide healthy meals for program participants as well as nutritional education. 

Dalager’s time with the Campus Kids not only filled their bellies with wholesome, healthy food, but also gave them another potential path as they continue to think about their futures.

A conversation with some "regulars"

Read Emily Paulson's words about our community dinner HERE.

Reflection on the CCASL Retreat

By: Alison-Claire Caputo

The CCASL Leadership Retreat this fall was my first time seeing the beauty of Camp Cross and my first time having the chance to meet all the other student leaders and all of the CCASL staff. This could have proven to be a very overwhelming and daunting experience, as I knew nearly no one, but of course it was the exact opposite! Everyone I met was incredibly welcoming and friendly, and ready to bring me into the fold. On the retreat we were split into smaller groups and assigned one CCASL staff member to be our group leader. What I loved most about this idea is that I will be with my group for the rest of the year, and we have great plans to keep in touch and keep each other motivated throughout the year. Just last weekend my group went to our leader Sima’s house for chili and pumpkin carving and to check in on how the semester is going. Another great part of the retreat was the trust building exercises we attempted in larger groups. This allowed more people to meet each other and work together, and to realize how many other students are involved in CCASL and what a great support system we have in each other. Finally, a few CCASL leaders gave testimonials about how Service Learning and Social Justice have shaped and changed their lives, and the chance to hear these more intimate portraits was a great gift. I realized that aligning yourself to these principles is a journey, and a different one for everyone, but never to give up on our drive to see a better future for the world.

Holes

Yesterday afternoon the Outlaw Men's Rugby Team stopped by the backyard of CCASL to help dig all thirty-four holes necessary for our perimeter fence to make our community garden marmot proof.  After a short safety speech and some explanation of how the Campus Kitchen at Gonzaga University was going to put the produce to good use, we started on a task that took the team 2 hours to complete.

All this work was a great addition to the work the was completed a few weeks ago by a few other student groups.

Green Your Halloween

Green Halloween is a growing trend being encouraged by people trying to Live Green to apply the 'green' concepts to Halloween.

The main focus of Greening Your Halloween is to be making eco-friendly, earth-friendly and healthier choices when it comes to the food, the costumes, the decorations and the activities people are choosing to celebrate the Halloween Holiday.

Green Halloween

Food - Focus on Healthier and Organic Treats
Costumes - Reused, Made from Reused or Recyclable items
Decorations - Reusable or Recyclable ones
Activities - Carnivals, Trick or Treating with emphasis on the 'treats' (treating others or volunteering)

Orange Halloween

Food - Lots of Candy and Sugar
Costumes - Store Bought
Decorations - Store Bought
Activities - Trick or Treating, with emphasis on the 'tricks'

Halloween is the holiday that most people ignore or forget until last minute and then go out the day before and spend way more then they intended. If this is you, do not fear for we will help you plan a more organized Halloween which will not only be better for you, but it will be better for the environment.

Your first step to planning a greener and more organized Halloween is to decide what you are going to hand out. So many Americans go out to the store and buy one or two 10 pound bags of candy which adds to the landfill due to packaging and is an unhealthy choice for kids. Instead try making your own Halloween candy to hand out. This could be a fun way to get into the season and spend a Sunday afternoon. Try this candy corn recipe: HERE  You can also choose from any of these store-bought options which have the least amount of additional wrapping.

1)      100% Fruit-Roll Ups or Fruit leather

2)      Boxes of raisins

3)      100% Fruit juices

4)      Small packages of nuts or sunflower seeds

5)      Mini-bags of microwave popcorn

6)      Small bags of pretzels

7)       Organic Candy
    it’s still sweet, but more environmentally friendly.

8)      Mini granola bars

9)      Snack-size graham crackers, animal crackers or goldfish

10)  Mini dark- chocolate bars with nuts

11)  100 Calorie Packs- Portion controlled packages it helps to keep kids from going hog wild

            Halloween costumes have changed drastically through the years. Finding a Halloween costume used to consist of sorting through old clothes and dress up trunks to find a good costume you already have. I remember when I was a kid multiple Halloweens when I wore the same witch costume slightly altered. Visit this website for ideas on how to make a homemade costume: HERE .

If you end up buying a Halloween costume look for things:

• Made with eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, wool or hemp.
• Made by decent Fair Trade or sustainable companies.
• That can be used more than once.
• That are recyclable – for example, for accessories, such as a sword look for felt or cardboard vs. plastic.

The final tip regards your Halloween candy bags. Going around collecting candy from house to house requires bags to put your candy in. Instead of using plastic bags, use reusable grocery bags or an old pillowcase. You never know if someone providing candy will slip a few more pieces in your bag because you chose to be eco-friendly.

I hope these tips were helpful for you to start a Green Halloween. 

Happy Halloween!