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Intercultural Communication

Service Learning Paper

Submitted by:

Eric Martinez

11/24/17

Submitted to:

Tamra K. Philips

COMM 2150-002

Department of Communication

Salt Lake Community College

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Service Organization

For my civic engagement project, I volunteered at the Road Home for the children who

attend the book club at the Midvale Center. The contact information is listed below:

Hannah Kuhnhausen and Alexa

Volunteer Coordinators

Road Home

Midvale Center

Phone: 801-819-7298

Email: Volunteer@theroadhome.org
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Project

The Road Home in Salt Lake City is a non-profit organization that has been established

since 1923 by the Travelers Aid Society. The main mission of the Road Home is to aid with

childrens programs, and to help the homeless community in Utah, which includes providing the

homeless community with temporary housing. I chose to be a volunteer for the childrens book

club, out of all the opportunities offered to me. The mission of the book club at the Road Home

Midvale Center was to tutor children from K1-K6 grade level from any type of working class

and help them develop reading skills that could be helpful for them in the future for educational

purposes of what a good book is supposed to look like, and somewhat know how the structure of

a future essay or assignment is supposed to look like and for fun because the children I worked

with had a lot of fun reading with me. There is eight sometimes nine or ten volunteers that show

up to the book club for the road home and work with any children that comes through those

classroom doors, all the children could use our help when it comes to reading.

For my civic engagement project I worked with multiple children each week, most of the

time I would do a one on one tutoring session and others I worked with two or three kids. Several

of the kids I worked with were decent at reading, others needed a little help reading. I work with

a variety of children from different classes some are from lower class families and others are

from the middle class.

Cultural Groups

I had this one girl named Linsey telling me that she and her family have a hard time

staying in place because of money issues, the fact that they have time to bring her to these kinds

of things means they want a better future for her and that is the purpose of the book club and the

Road Home in general. The Road Home mainly helps the homeless community, but they also
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provide other opportunities for children, while at the book club I worked with a variety of

children from racial and ethnic backgrounds along with the type of class theyre in. I never asked

the children personally what type of working class they were in, my volunteer coordinator

Hannah before she moved on with her life explained that the majority of these kids were from

lower class families and some from the middle class.

Challenges

There was a lot to consider when I first started working with these kids, I have tutored

children in the past in high school for three years straight, I had experience, but it has been two

years ago since I tutored. I had to use different strategies on what methods of teaching work best

for these children because the goal, there is to see them progress in reading, so they will improve

in school and understand things a little bit better in life. To motivate these kids on trying to read,

I would read one page each time they read as a reward, each time I read I asked if they had any

confusion on words then I would let them read the next one, so I can help correct them on

pronouncing any words if necessary, but some volunteers questioned my method of teaching

saying that the kids should read all the time and I should not read to them. Considering that I

knew what worked best and they knew what worked best I ignored them and continued to work,

my way of teaching is efficient, and it psychologically makes the child feel better about the

reading subject.
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Theory

Furthermore, the theory I focused on while working at the Road Home with these

children at the book club was the Systems Theory by Paul Watzlawick. The Systems theory

consists of six categories: the non-summativity, interdependence, hierarchy, boundaries,

calibration/feedback, and equifinality. Non-summativity is when the whole system is observed

and understood, no individual can understand only one part of the system if they dont know that

part is part of something bigger. Interdependence is as stated in the course pack page 42 the

elements of a system are inter-related, meaning that if there is ever a change in the system, it

will not only affect that part of the system but everything else that is connected to that system.

All members are affected by the shifts and changes in the system. Hierarchy is where there are

different levels of a system the lower level embedded into something higher, the lower

subsystem levels can function independently but is part of the integral part of the system.

Boundaries is when a system just doesnt allow anyone to join, there is a process to get in and get

accepted as a member of the system. The calibration/feedback is when the system needs a rule of

structure for stability, so the system can work and produce results. Negative feedback is when it

maintains status quo. Positive feedback is when it produces change. Furthermore, equifinality is

when every individual wants to achieve the same goals but in different means.
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Analysis

Furthermore, the systems theory applied to my service learning project because non-

summativity applied when realizing that the book club at the Road Home was not the only way

for volunteers or workers to make a difference for the homeless community. There are multiple

opportunities that make up the Road Home, and a significant difference in the community.

Interdependence applies to my service learning project because in the book club it is not

only the kids that come in that makes the book club so great it is also having the volunteers that

show up for the service learning opportunity. If there are not enough volunteers going to the

book club, it affects everyone there because there were some days where there was not enough

people and there were a lot more kids coming to the book club. There were times where there

was too much volunteers and not enough children, which also affected us.

Furthermore, hierarchy applied to my service learning project because there were a

variety of subsystems that made up the system itself. Several subsystems that make up the road

home would be having the homeless community in Utah which is a high level of the system,

volunteers to fill another subsystem of opportunities of helping others, having donations for the

homeless community. Without these traits the Road Home organization would not exist in our

community today.

When it comes to the Road Home there is always workers and volunteers coming and

going. To become a volunteer for the Road Home, they have you go through a process to see if

you meet their standards. A volunteer must attend a one hour briefing on what the non-profit

organization is, learning the rules about what is okay and not okay, learning about all the

opportunities they offer, and to go through a background check. If you have no criminal record,

then they will call you and let you know you are qualified after a week after attending the one-
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hour briefing.

The calibration/feedback applied to my service learning project because when my first

volunteer coordinator was around, she had specific ways of doing things in the book club.

Hannah my old coordinator would have us read with the children for 45 minutes, then she would

have us color with the children. Hannah left our new volunteer coordinator came in Alexa she

did the same thing as well, but would mix it up having some days at the 45-minute mark, having

a volunteer read to all the children at once, or bringing food for the kids, and sometimes we just

colored. This was a result of a positive feedback mixed with a little negative feedback in the

classroom for the book club.

To conclude on how the systems theory applies to my service learning project there is

equifinality. Every volunteers goal, including myself had the same goal, which was to be able

tutor kids as proficiently as possible. Every week was a different week, I would say half of the

time we were always short on volunteers at the book club. I sometimes ended up with two or

three kids to help tutor, it changed my method of teaching I ended up reading to the children

about what book they all agreed to read. When tutoring one on one with a kid I have them read a

page, then I would read one after that way I could help them if they had a hard time pronouncing

words.

Reflection

At the beginning of the semester I felt nervous to tutor children, and felt like I was

going to be the only new person in the room. Turns out there was three new volunteers, and the

children were super friendly to me the first day I showed up. Throughout the semester I came

that I was doing a good thing in the community, I was no longer afraid I felt more confident in

myself and it made me a better person. I learned that the children I was working with were all
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from different racial/ethnic backgrounds including that most of them were part of the lower

economic class. The application of the systems theory really puts things into perspective, I

thought these theories would not help me understand what I was doing but it did. My definition

of civic engagement at the beginning of the semester was helping other in need. My definition of

civic engagement has changed now it is helping those in need, but by doing this it also helps

yourself in a way that makes you feel great. Those kids the volunteers and it helped makes me

feel like I left a mark in their lives, hope they can take some of those teachings and apply them

for educational purposes. Every time I showed up the volunteers and the volunteer coordinator

always told me that they were thankful to have me around, and that I was a big part of the

organization. This class and service learning assignment will benefit me in my future career as a

United States Marine and a future local police officer, it will remind me that I love to help others

in multiple ways.
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References

Philips Tamra Course packet