Wednesday, 21 June 2017

Reasons Why You Should Conduct Service Learning In Slum Setting

By Martha Ward


Slums are found in most countries in the world, and they are commonly known for the poverty and high levels of crime. Conducting any activity in those areas is riskier and needs proper strategizing before venturing in there. However, any institution willing to take service learning in slum should have different methods of enticing the occupants to attend the classes. Here are ways that service learning in slum setting can be done and the benefits that come with this initiative.

Changing the mentality of any person from one point to another is not easy. This can best be done by a professional who understands how to guide and counsel the affected persons. At the introduction of the program, you should hire trained guidance and counseling professionals to bring sanity to the students. This will make them understand the purpose of the learning and what should be done to be disciplined.

Having established the slum you are going to work with, you will need to do research on how you can improve the livelihood of the people you will be teaching. The requirements vary as per the slum setting. Teach them how they can improve the living standards of their people. Consider hiring professionals from this area who can outsource possible channels for employment for the educated youths.

Researching on possible job opportunities within the area and understanding the major challenge in the slum will be a good base for setting up the learning program. Focus the training in the skills needed and the availability of jobs. This will make sure that the youths get jobs after the few months training and this will have mitigated on their social economic impact.

When starting the service in learning in the slums, inform the targeted group that apart from the basic class lessons, they will be taking lessons that can give them skills. The project should equip itself with a range of courses that the youths can choose from depending on their liking. The common courses that can give them a chance for self-employment include, dressmaking, barbering, hairdressing, masonry and many others.

The people attending and undertaking the service training will be of all ages, and you should be ready to handle them. Hire teachers and other service providers who can mingle positively with these needy people. Your staff should be to guide and counsel those taking the program because they will be coming with different problems on an individual basis. This will improve their morale and will give them more reasons to attend the program

Invite regularly mentors and other high ranking officials who have grown and managed it from the slums. They will be inspirational to the attendants of the service learning and can boost the morale of the slum learners. They will be taken as role models for these students, and this will make them focused on the course.

No child or youth can learn on an empty stomach, and a feeding program for the slum dwellers should be established. Work together with the state government on how to facilitate food and other basic stuff like the sanitary towels. There are also some donor funding agencies that support institutions that enhance lives of slum community, and they can be resourceful too.




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