In his essay Social Service or Social Change?

Who Benefits from Your Work, Paul Kivel believes that there exist an opportunity for most of us to restore the original vision of social justice, equality, violence and exploitation, (Kivel, 2000, p.17). During the third meeting with my CSL placement, I was illuminated by the notion of equality. This newly gained knowledge will help me respond to Kivels thought-provoking question, Is the primary goal of the work you do to help people get ahead or to help them get together? I have learned that there is an annual disability rally and pride parade held in Calgary and people with disabilities from all over Alberta are all invited to join. Through this social movement they have showed pride and brought awareness to make the world a fair place to live. This is made possible as Lisa, one of the staff members, said that we live in a place where we will not be shot dead if we push the government. So, to answer the question, I believe that I am helping people to get together and to fight for the rights they deserve. Margaret Himleys article Facing (Up To) The Stranger in Community Service Learning, reasons that even as being a volunteer myself, I have the power to cross borders (Himley,2004). In addition to the concept above, I also discovered that during the parade, people came out from their offices to cheer and talk to the participants making the voice of the crowd stronger to be heard. The ability to cross borders serves as a link between two distinct organizations. I believe that the personal differences that everybody is contributing to the social movement serves as a magnet that attracts positive forces for a gradual change to occur. There are still of lot of people who are not treated well here in Edmonton. In order for a change to materialize, we must challenge ourselves to change first. We should open our minds and hearts to the issues of inequality for people with disabilities and offer everything we can no matter how small it is to make a difference.

I live by John Rockefeller Jr. encouraging quote, Every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty. This conviction encourages me to get involved in the community which brings me to the article The Politics of Community Service-Learning in University Education by Joanne Muzak and Lorraine Woollard. They have raised a thought about that the university should be committed to civic responsibility (Muzak & Woolard). I agree to this idea because I was given a chance to participate in the Christmas Food Bank drive held in the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension. My volunteer coordinator, Cathy Shi, entrusted me and another co-volunteer to be the coordinator of the event. I then revealed my passion in helping others and I would not know it up until now without Shis trust and that critical event shaped me to become an active citizen. During my stay in the UofA Faculty of Extension, I didnt only gained knowledge purely based on academics but also I earned skills essential for my success and future endeavours. In the article, The Irony of Service: Charity, Project and Social Change in ServiceLearning, Keith Morton illustrates three paradigms of service such as charity, project and social change. To incorporate my previous experience above, I will focus about charity. I was told during our tour in the Edmonton Food Bank that it was just supposed to be a short term solution to help hungry Edmontonians, however, in the long run it became institutionalized. Morton mentions that charity is providing direct service to others but how often can someone do this? (Morton, 1995) I cannot answer this question but I know that because of the existing institution to support those people in need, other citizens will be encouraged to help out, too. Every charity is releasing tax claims to donors and through this incentive they were able to sustain their level of operations. Similarly, every persons belief serves as an incentive to feel obligated to make a contribution in the community.