Engaging College Students from Diverse Backgrounds in Community Service Learning

Representations of diversity and inclusion

“…Green (2001) found that African American college students expressed a higher identification with mentees from low-income backgrounds and displayed a greater willingness to challenge their mentees to succeed academically. Similar to the finding from Novick et al (2011), students of color also reported feelings of discomfort and alienation during the debrief sessions with peers stemming from White students' avoidance of conversations about race and attempts to dismiss the centrality of race in their service learning experiences.…”

“…Multiple studies emphasize issues of otherness through the experiences of Students of Color in service learning experiences. For example, Novick, Seider and Huguley (2011) examined the experiences of students from marginalized groups in their mixed-methods study of undergraduate students in a social action program. Through a survey of 400 student participants, they identified a significant difference in the "sense of community" (p. 3) for African American and Latinx students compared to White students in the class.…”

“…Students positioned themselves as distinct or separate from community members, instead of connected through collaboration or a sense of shared responsibility. The authors also suggested that language used in coming to terms with White privilege may contribute to a weaker sense of community experienced by students of color (see also Novick, et al, 2011). Additionally, Endres and Gould (2009) found that service learning provided a context for students to reaffirm White privilege even when the course directly addressed critical theories of whiteness prior to the start of the service experience.…”

Serving a Stranger or Serving Myself: Alternative Breaks and the Influence of Race and Ethnicity on Student Understanding of Themselves and Others

“…Such negative reactions are due in part to White students and faculty using "othering" language when referring to community members and assuming privilege on the part of all students within the service-learning program, sometimes at odds with the actual experiences of Students of Color (Mitchell et al, 2012;Seider & Hillman, 2011;Seider et al, 2013). Moreover, Students of Color may hesitate to participate in discussions about race within the context of service-learning experiences because they are often the only or one of a few Students of Color in the group and do not want to speak for their entire racial group (Novick, Seider, & Huguley, 2011;Seider et al, 2013). Students of Color may also hesitate to speak up on issues of race, even if other students make racially offensive comments, in order to avoid being perceived as overly sensitive to racial issues (Novick et al, 2011;Seider et al, 2013) or to avoid offending White classmates (Guiffrida, 2003).…”

“…Moreover, Students of Color may hesitate to participate in discussions about race within the context of service-learning experiences because they are often the only or one of a few Students of Color in the group and do not want to speak for their entire racial group (Novick, Seider, & Huguley, 2011;Seider et al, 2013). Students of Color may also hesitate to speak up on issues of race, even if other students make racially offensive comments, in order to avoid being perceived as overly sensitive to racial issues (Novick et al, 2011;Seider et al, 2013) or to avoid offending White classmates (Guiffrida, 2003).…”