Pre-Service Reflection

My view of social justice is that it’s important because it’s a fight against social injustice. Social injustice such as taking away a person’s opportunities and treating them unfairly. Everyone should have equal opportunities and equal access to things such as wealth, privileges, healthcare, etc. There should not be one person that is limited to what they are able to do or accomplish in their lifetime.

I believe that the biggest community problem, or even more so, a need, is people finding a way to get along no matter their difference in values. Now, more than ever, everyone holds a different opinion or has a different perspective when it comes to certain topics or ideas. This problem exists because there is such a divide in the world, especially when it comes to things like politics. Granted, people are entitled to their opinion and are allowed to express it, but I believe there is a certain degree to doing so. Lately, expressing opinions has often been done through violence, which is very unfortunate. My personal opinion is that it shouldn’t be so hard to get along with one another. It’s very hard to anticipate what will happen moving forward, but I can only hope that one day we will all be able to find common ground and grow together. One of the major factors is that in the past, for example, is that people didn’t have access to social media, and now everyone is given a platform to share ideas & interests as they please, and news spreads faster than ever. While this is a great thing, it can cause problems just as easily. People are constantly arguing online through applications like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc., which can also lead to conflict outside of the Internet and be brought into the real world. On the contrary, social media isn’t that bad as it can help to promote social justice and bring people together.

What I hope to gain through my service learning experience are skills such as leadership, time management, teamwork, and adaptability. Most importantly, the opportunity to gain real world experience. I believe I will be changed through my service learning experience because I will have had the opportunity to talk to others about their life and have my mind opened to new ideas. I hope to be informed through different perspectives on topics I might’ve thought I had figured out so I can learn, understand, and grow as a person moving forward into my professional life.