Katelyn Smyth
Day of Service
On September 12th, 2015, I attended Stockton’s Day of Service. This annual event is held for all Stockton students, and is an opportunity to introduce students to service learning and to show them different ways that they can serve their community.
I was told that this year the event was being conducted differently. We were split into four groups based on colors (red, green, purple, etc.). There were about four different service projects that the groups rotated through so that everyone had a chance to experience every project. Everyone was able to choose what team they were on, making the event well-organized but also enjoyable because people could choose to be on the same team as their friends. The first station my group (the red team) traveled to, was a hands-on project. We sorted through boxes of books and organized them by genre for the club “Books without Borders” that sends books to schools and libraries in need. At another station, we learned from an environmental club on campus about how harmful plastic water bottles are and what we can use instead. While eating lunch in the Campus Center Event Room, we learned about Green Dot, a program on campus that promotes bystander intervention to reduce the number of crimes and unsafe circumstances that occur not just on campus, but anywhere we are. At the end of the day, we reflected on our experience and what we had learned and received our t-shirts.
The Day of Service was not exactly what I was expecting. When I think of service, I think of planting flowers in a garden outside, or putting together food packages for homeless people. Instead, the day consisted of some hands-on activities, but also some very insightful conversation and learning. The Day of Service opened my eyes to other types of service and also taught me to think critically about the effects of the service I do. Overall, it was a great day and a successful event.