Six Concept Post Reflection

Over the course of the program we completed six modules: 

• Community Engaged Learning

• Community Organizing & Activism

• Direct Service

• Philanthropy

• Policy & Governance

• Social Entrepreneurship and Corporate Social Responsibility

Of the six modules, I think the one that I found the most challenging was Community Organizing & Activism. The module seemed to want to encourage us to assume a leadership role, to create a plan and organize something for the community ourselves. This is not a strength for me, I prefer to take a supporting role when it comes to organization and leadership, but even if it were a strength, I might still prefer to take a supporting role when it comes to activism in the Deaf community. There's a long history of "hearing" people making decisions for the Deaf. Activism in the Deaf community should be coming from within the community, with Deaf leadership at the helm. I am happy to focus on the opportunities that already exist for volunteering, and plugging myself in to those.

The concept that I related to the most was Community Engaged Learning. As part of the American Sign Language/English Interpreting major we take a community engaged learning course each semester. We complete a minimum of 32 service hours as part of this course. We work with several community partners in the Salt Lake area that serve the Deaf Community and their families, as well as organizations that promote professional and ethical standards for interpreters.  When I first learned about these requirements, I felt intimidated, but once I got started, doing service hours quickly became my favorite part of the program. 

We gain so much from engaging with the community. We gain practical experience that applies to what we are learning in the classroom. This has enriched our learning in ways that just studying theory could never do.  I also appreciate the personal nature of serving. I have had the opportunity to build relationships,  and engage in work supporting organizations and causes that I find personally meaningful.  

Doing service also gives me an opportunity to practice and improve. Interpreting is a practice profession and the more practice we can get, the better. I have noticed that I am much more motivated by real world practice than by classroom exercises. This internal motivation makes learning and goal setting easier which has resulted in improvements in my interpreting skill and confidence. I see the service hours that I have done in the program as only a beginning, I won't be done volunteering and engaging with the community just because I graduate.