Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Grade Level: 9-12

Academic Areas: Language Arts, Career Development, Health

Duration of service: Year Long

Character Virtues: Caring, Responsibility

Service Areas: Education/Tutoring, Human Services

 

Service Learning Project:

Students who are training for careers in social work will meet with social agencies that have helped ease transition for students with disabilities. Students will meet with young people who are directly involved in making a transition from a residential setting or school. Students will research on the Internet and in libraries people with disabilities, social service agencies, faith-based agencies, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students will be given the opportunity to choose a "buddy" and develop a relationship with a young person who has a disability and is (or will soon be) in the process of transitioning from one site (residential setting or school) to another. Students will spend as much of the school year as possible in the buddy relationship. During the year, students will advocate orally and in writing for their buddy. They will share their experiences with their classmates in reflection groups. A final celebration will be not only to celebrate the work of the students but also to celebrate the successes in the transition for their buddies.

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Students will advocate orally and in writing for a young person with disabilities. Standard: ELA 1 & 4

Learning Goal: Students will help another student with a disability to navigate social agencies to affect better transition from a residential setting, group home, or school to another residence or school.

Standard: Career Development 3b

Service

Community need: Many young people with disabilities are in desperate need of assistance when transitioning from residences or schools (whose counselors are often overworked and unable to provide comprehensive transition counseling and follow-through for every student).

Possible Community Partners: Group homes, residential settings, nonprofit social service organizations, independent living centers, and appropriate government agencies.

Objective: Student will buddy with another student with a disability who is in transition from a residence or school.

Objective: Students will write to appropriate social agencies on behalf of their buddy. Students will help counsel their buddy during the transition.

Character

Virtue: Caring

Objective: Students will develop an understanding of the difficulties involved in transitioning from one setting to another through their interactions with an individual with disabilities.

Virtue: Responsibility

Objective: Students will contemplate how their efforts may affect the lives of young people with disabilities.

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

  1. Students will meet with students and staff of a residential setting or school from which their buddy will be transitioning.
  2. Students will meet – either in school or in the field – with representatives from social agencies that provide services to people with disabilities.

 Key Service Activities

  1. Students will write an essay about their "buddy," describing his or her abilities and interests.
  2. Students will research social agencies and other resources that will help ease the difficulties of transitioning for their "buddy".

 Key Reflection Activities

  1. (oral – responsibility) In a small reflection group, students will orally introduce their buddy (who may or may not be physically present) to the other students in the group. Students will respond to and analyze the introductions.
  2. (written – caring/responsibility) Students will share letters they have written to organizations that may help their buddy transition.
  3. (performance – caring/responsibility) It is expected that there will be disappointments and frustrations as well as successes in the process of transition. Students will be guided through their disappointments by role playing the disappointing situation with their classmates, who will respond and analyze what went wrong while providing encouragement.

Celebration Activity

Students will share their written research on transition in a publication made available to other students in their school. The publication will be celebrated by a book party where students will autograph copies of their work. There will be a panel discussion (made up of students, young people with disabilities, and professional social workers) at the book party (held in school, library, or community based organization). The final celebration will involve the young people with disabilities and their parents as well as the parents of the students involved in service education. It will be held at an accessible location for all parties involved. Some students may not be able to leave their residential setting – in which case they will be represented by family members. At the celebration, awards will be presented recognizing the work of the service learning students as well as awards recognizing the abilities and successes of their buddies.