Lack of After School Programs
After school programs are activities which the youth can take part in beyond the
traditional school going hours. The after-school programs categorized in those undertaken by
either secondary or primary schools and those undertaken by external commercial or not-forprofit organizations. The programs meet the needs of youth and children of all ages and
encompasses a wide range of focus activities such as mentoring, academic support, youth
development, recreation and sports. The social issue is important as it improves the academic
performance of attendees, enhances the class behavior of the learners. Additionally, afterschool programs minimize the likelihood of dropping out of school. Further, participation in
after-school programs has been linked to a reduction in criminal behavior and drug use.
Service learning is important in causing positive change to after-school programs as
community partners are able to use some or a lot of the strategies, insights, and information
that the students suggest (Vizenor, Souza & Ertmer, 2016). Additionally, service learning is
important in causing a positive change to lack of after-school programs as it nurtures the
children and the youth to become better members of the society.
Community Organization
The Wallace Foundation is a philanthropy organization that is based in New York
City and operates at a national level in answering essential queries which, if remedied can
help in the reinforcement of policies as well as practices in a particular field. The foundation
traces its origin back to more than 50 years to the philanthropic instances of Lila Acheson and
DeWitt who also founded the Reader’s Digest Association. The generosity was directed to a
wide range of educational, cultural and artistic causes in the course of their lifetime. The
Wallace’s’ contributions have touched many organizations and their legacy lives on Wallace
Foundation, n.d.). The primary objective of The Wallace Foundation is to provide high
quality after-school initiatives which can equip the youth and children with rich opportunities
for learning, having fun and also growth. The foundation meets the communities’ needs by
coordinating efforts that ensure more and more youths and teens participate in high quality
after-school programs. Therefore, The Wallace Foundation stepped in by launching the
Financial Management program nine years ago to assist providers in sharpening the required
skills in the getting of their financial houses in order. Additionally, the foundation makes
funder policies and procedures efficient and fairer. In other words, The Wallace Foundation
puts in place policies and strategies that coordinate and boost the presence of after-school
programs in the country (Wallace Foundation, n.d.).
Conclusion
Historically, the after-school programs have been differentiated with diverse
initiatives -as well as the government institutions which finance them-thus resulting to a
scenario where the programs operate in isolation from each other. The Wallace Foundation
seeks to coordinate strategies which promote an increase in a number of enrolments in afterschool programs and also promote the quality of the programs. Additionally, the foundation
focus on disadvantaged youths and children. Further, service learning at The Wallace
Foundation is beneficial to both the community and the students. For instance, service
learning at the foundation helps the students to increase the understanding of the importance
of after-school programs in the community; exploring and nurturing talents, improvement of
one’s ability to handle ambiguity as well as increasing flexibility among other things. For the
community, service learning at Amnesty International helps in the gaining of extra human
resources required to attain the organization’s objectives, grow Amnesty International’s
volunteer pool, increase of public awareness to the benefits of after-school programs in the
country among other things ("Benefits of Service-Learning", 2018).
References
Benefits of Service-Learning. (2018). Retrieved from
http://www.servicelearning.umn.edu/info/benefits.html
Vizenor, N., Souza, T., & Ertmer, J. (2016). Benefits of participating in service-learning,
business-related classes: Assessing the impact on community partners. Journal for
Research in Business Education, 58(1), 1-15.
Wallace Foundation. A Brief History. Retrieved from
https://www.wallacefoundation.org/about-wallace/pages/history.aspx
Wallace Foundation. Afterschool. Retrieved from https://www.wallacefoundation.org/howwe-work/our-work/pages/afterschool.aspx
Cultural Challenges
Introduction
Institutions of higher are focused in bringing positive change to the society through
various programs. XYZ University needs an evaluation of a particular organization to see if a
service learning opportunity would benefit future students and the community. Wallace
Foundation aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged children in America’s urban areas. The
foundation focuses on building audiences for the arts education of young people, expanded
learning, summer learning, afterschool programming, and school leadership. Wallace’s mission
is to enable learning institutions to expand learning opportunities for everyone by sharing and
supporting effective practices and ideas (Wallace Foundation Afterschool, n.d). Based on its
mission statement, the foundation strengthens education leadership to improve student
achievement among the young, disadvantaged population. Further, the organization improves
after-school learning opportunities and expands student participation in arts and culture.
Humanitarian Considerations
The afterschool program comprises multiple programs with the private groups and
government agencies which fund the programs. The afterschool program is fragmented since
each party function separately from each other (Billig & Waterman, 2014). The lack of access to
high-quality standards, especially in urban regions which contain large numbers of
disadvantaged young people is an effect of the fragmented program. Little efforts are employed
to ensure that more teens and children participate in high-quality after-school services. The
Wallace Foundation has stepped up to help these students obtain a high-quality education by
engaging in “solidarity” work as a way to address the challenge. In 2003, Wallace began the First
Generation Initiative to help urban centers experiment the idea of coordinating resources and
efforts to bring after-school opportunities to the disadvantaged children and teens. Based on the
initiative, Wallace gathered lessons which advanced two fundamental premises which include
young students can gain learning benefits by participating in the program frequently, and a
coordinated strategy can enhance the quality of and improve access to in-service learning among
young people.
As an antidote to improve the in-service program efficiency, Wallace can develop a more
cohesive leadership system in partnership with various states and districts to engage more fully
in “solidarity” work. The rationale for building such a system should consider the standards that
define leadership quality and outline a basis for holding educational leaders accountable (Billig
& Waterman, 2014). Ideally, the incentives that hinder or help these leaders are most likely to be
effective and sustained given that they are both well-coordinated and aligned to the goal of
improved student learning.
Cultural Challenges
Intercultural service-learning experience reinforces students’ stereotypes. According to
De Leon (2014), mere contact does not equate to a deepened sense of sensitivity or awareness.
Therefore, the result is that when students from different cultural backgrounds participate in the
in-service program, cultural differences as a result of ethnocentrism becomes an issue and can
lead to conflict and division among the students. The other issue is that students can have
feelings of guilt related to their opportunities and privileges. McLeskey, Rosenberg, & Westling
(2017) argue that privilege issues, as well as power inequalities associated with social class and
race, are pervasive among students in after-school programs. However, students can overcome
these issues by interacting in situations where they are equals. Direct and continuous interaction
among students of different cultural background fosters reciprocal intercultural learning
opportunities where both groups have the opportunity to have misinformation and prejudice
questioned. The XYZ University can create a conducive environment for students to build trust
and develop meaningful relationships.
Roadblocks
Many cases of liability involving students stem from negligence on the school
administration’s side to execute its duty appropriately with regards to protecting the students.
Liability can happen when the XYZ University places students in an unsafe situation or fails to
warn them of impending dangers. Liability can also be due to harm that the student causes
someone else in the performance of the job. Wallace Foundation has had certain problems with
some university students including the addition of poorly trained students into the organization
and the disruption of the organization’s workflow (e.g., not participating fully in the in-service
program by quitting however they wish) (Wallace Foundation Afterschool, n.d). A number of
these liability issues are related to cultural differences among the in-service students as some
have cited conflicts with their peers based on stereotypes.
Conclusion
This study has shown the cultural conflicts that are likely to occur when students
participate in service learning at Wallace. In particular, service learning can facilitate
ethnocentrism hence causes more harm rather than build healthy relationship among students, the
organization, as well as the community at large (De Leon, 2014). The cultural issues mentioned
in the preceding text can be resolved when the interaction among both groups includes that of
equal status, support of customs, personal interaction, and common goals. The university can
support the resolutions by connecting students and communities through academic courses,
creating an environment for discussing cultural issues. The potential risks to the university can
occur when service students engage in drugs or violent behavior, which can reflect badly on the
school administration for failure to carry out proper screening.
References
Billig, S. H., & Waterman, A. S. (Eds.). (2014). Studying service-learning: Innovations in
education research methodology. Routledge.
De Leon, N. (2014). Developing Intercultural Competence by Participating in Intensive
Intercultural Service-Learning. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 21(1),
17-30.
McLeskey, J. L., Rosenberg, M. S., & Westling, D. L. (2017). Inclusion: Effective practices for
all students. Pearson.
Wallace Foundation. Afterschool. Retrieved from https://www.wallacefoundation.org/how-wework/our-work/pages/afterschool.aspx
Week 2 Assignment
Introduction
Service-learning is an innovative teaching approach that incorporates community service
approach with academic study to teach students of the positivity of living as community.
University service-learning programs are mutually beneficial for both community-based
organizations (CBOs) and student volunteers. Students get a chance to engage in the community
while gaining practical skills relevant to their skills. Likewise, CBOs are supplied with additional
volunteers for their programs. The experiences some students gain with service-learning
represents exposure to a new social mission, tackling community needs they might never have
known existed earlier. When the community builds relationships with local students, they gain an
entirely new audience for their organization’s message. As students establish relationships with
members of the communities, CBOs, correspondingly, can also build their bonds with local
universities.
However, there are some challenges that students might face as service-learners in the
community. One of them is time constraints since students can be spread thin with commitment
to home, work, and school. As such, many students find it challenging to participate in a servicelearning program. Another challenge is dissatisfaction with the work. The community partners
may direct students to carry out tasks which are not in line with the service-learning experience.
Often the hardest part is getting students to recognize and report that a problem exists. As a
result, students may opt for intern roles instead of after-school learning projects.
Since hundreds and even thousands of students lack access to afterschool programs which
offer rich opportunities for learning, Wallace Foundation partners with neighboring communities
to coordinate the work of programs to build effective after school services. Main components of
after school projects include initiatives to enhance quality of programs as well as data collection
to inform decision-making. Taking these factors into account, Wallace Foundation then creates a
robust after school system which encompasses a wide range of focus activities such as
mentoring, academic support, youth development, recreation and sports.
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