SHU Students Visit Italy Virtually for Service-Learning Project

Participating students interacted online with guest speakers to learn about area’s issues

Nine Sacred Heart University students were engaged abroad during their winter break—despite the COVID-19 pandemic—without setting foot on a plane. Mark Congdon, assistant professor of communication studies, taught a remote, week-long class, “Virtual Service-Learning and Social Justice Abroad,” focused on the province of Trentino, Italy. 

Congdon wants his students to develop awareness of their own culture, critically evaluate potential cultural biases and realize how identity influences interactions with others. He also encourages his students to examine their responsibilities as active global citizens and to use appropriate social expressions when interacting and communicating with people from other cultures or backgrounds.

Service-learning programs, which enforce Congdon’s goals, normally take place during spring break, but COVID-19 restrictions hampered those plans this year. “In signing up for this class, I was sad that in-person global service-learning trips were unavailable this spring. Yet, traveling and cross-cultural exploration was extremely important to me, and I couldn’t miss another opportunity to do just that, even over Zoom,” said student Jenna Calabrese, who participated in the virtual program. “I found great purpose in my previous travel experiences, and I wanted to expand on that with the Trentino service-learning program. Increasing local and visitor knowledge of environmental justice is crucial to tending to the beautiful landscapes and increasing the region’s attraction.” 

Usually, service-learning courses are restricted to South and Central America due to costs and travel time. Moving the program online allowed for a wider range of countries from which students could choose, and they selected Italy.

“This course led me to think about virtual service-learning and what that means, especially in a global pandemic and afterward,” said Congdon. “I think there’s a really unique opportunity here for us to rethink what a global, virtual service-learning experience entails, the possibilities for students who might not be able to afford study-abroad trips and also how we might be able to work with various community partners and organizations in places where we might not be able to travel for various reasons.”

Anne Wendel, assistant director of the office of volunteer programs & service learning (VPSL), collaborated with community partner Amizade, an organization dedicated to service-learning, to get the course off the ground. Amizade’s learning model, called Fair Trade Learning, impressed Wendel because it considers not only the students’ experience, but also the hosting community’s needs, ensuring that the hosting communities and volunteers are offered fair working conditions and compensation, have a significant voice in orchestrating the program and are offered professional development opportunities. This model reflects VPSL’s values of prioritizing equitable partnerships and socially responsible service-learning.

Amizade connected Wendel with Juri Bottura, founder and coordinator of academic affairs at Dolomit, an organization that leads international students on explorations of Trentino’s rich culture, history and geography. The nine SHU students who participated this year came from various class years and majors. Each day, they watched videos and interacted with guest speakers and Trentino residents, who talked about issues that fit class themes, such as sustainable housing, carbon footprint, tourism and community-engagement projects. 

At week’s end, students created podcasts, infographics, YouTube videos and other forms of media to critically reflect on what they had learned and how they will use that information in the future.

“It was impressive to see the students’ takeaways, even in a virtual space,” said Wendel. “They were still able to meet the learning objectives without having to step onto an airplane. I was happy to see that we still can recognize our role as global citizens, even from our home communities.”

Also during this week, VPSL offered “Service-Learning and Social Justice Abroad” with a focus on Costa Rican identity and culture with SHU’s global partner “Viva Nicaragua.” Staff and faculty advisers included Arlete Perez Paez, VPSL office and program manager, and Carrie McCracken, a social work professor. Both programs will present their projects at a global service-learning reflection colloquium Zoom discussion on March, 23 at 7 p.m.