Volunteer work for academic credit

Jennifer McGowan is the program assistant for the IDS experiential learning program. (Danny Abriel Photo)

When Jennifer McLeod returned home from a volunteer placement in a school in Kabale, Uganda, she quickly resumed her old routine and her Africa experience—intense, eye-opening, life-changing—seemed worlds away.

Returning for her fourth year in International Development Studies, she enrolled in Experiential Learning Abroad, a relatively new class that gives credit for volunteer experience. “I went for personal reasons, to see if I was cut out for development work,” she says. “The class is a chance to reflect on the experience. I found I wasn’t ready to let it go.”

The International Development Studies program is putting an emphasis what’s called “experiential learning,” allowing students to combine classroom theory with practical work experience and boost their job prospects after graduation.

Classes offered include Experiential Learning Canada (INTD 3108) and Experiential Learning Abroad (INTD 3109). The department also offers other learning-by-doing opportunities, such as the East Africa Study Tour and the Cuba program.

“I think this is a great program for students as they get practical work experience with an  NGO (nongovernmental organization) and receive academic credit for it,” says Jennifer McGowan, program assistant for IDS Experiential Learning Program.

A major focus of the classes is having students volunteer for various organizations. Students are required to do a minimum of 35 hours of volunteer work over the course of a school term. Research essays, reports and presentations on their work experience with their organization make up part of the student’s evaluation. Some of the organizations that students are volunteering for locally include the Halifax Refugee Clinic, Clean Nova Scotia, Phoenix Youth Programs and War Child Canada.

Of course, students have the option of doing their volunteer work abroad. This year, for example, Dalhousie students have spread out around the globe, volunteering in developing countries including Guatemala, Uganda, Kenya, Bhutan and Fiji.

Besides experiencing a different culture and learning about development issues on the ground, the class offers students a chance to share their stories with each other. “It’s been really important for me to hear about everyone else’s experiences and compare,” says Simon Barna, who stayed on to volunteer with a school in Uganda after going on the East Africa Study Tour in the summer. He also coached kids soccer and played on the men’s team in the village. “It didn’t feel like ‘volunteering’ or ‘work,’” he shrugs. “I would have done it anyway.”

“Thirty-five hours is the minimum amount of volunteer work required and we have many students who go above and beyond and others who continue to volunteer with their organizations after they’re done the class,” says Ms. McGowan, a master’s student in IDS.

The program was launched two years ago by Dalhousie professor Rebecca Tiessen as a pilot project. Funding and other support is provided through the Office of the Vice President, Student Services. This year, 37 students are enrolled, 27 on projects in Canada and 10 on projects abroad.