Service Learning Experiences
Some personal qualities I have developed through service learned are have definitely been communication skills. When I first started this course, I was unaware of the difficulty, typically, in communication with a non-profit organization. NICE has been amazing with most of their communication but I can see how you have to jump through many hoops to get to some different information. And, I never considered an organization that assists so many people to be so small. I figured they had a department for everything. I also grew in my understanding of different people groups. As a religion major, I have had the ability to see different people as "imago deis," or "images of God." Before working with NICE, I didn't have the opportunity to see that idea of imago dei transposed onto people that the media has slanderized so harshly.
I think a contribution I can make to public understanding of this issue is the idea that refugees are different than we are. If I could share with every single person, the smile and face of one of the girls we met at the airport last week, I don't think anyone would have a problem with refugees any longer. This is an issue people need to hear about and understand and quite simply, get over themselves.