Service Learning vs

Community Based Learning:

Why the difference matters

Roman Yavich, Laura Ochs, Tanyshia Stevens

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI · November 5, 2025

Roman Yavich

CEO

Learn from Travel

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Laura Ochs

Director of Global Learning

Agnes Scott College

Tanyshia Stevens

Faculty-led Program Coord.

Agnes Scott College

Presenters

Today’s Learning Objectives

Service learning vs community based learning

Impacts to host communities and “fair trade” learning

Framework for selecting activities

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721 Students

SUMMIT

Start here, lead everywhere.

100% of students experience SUMMIT

Global Learning

Leadership Development

Professional Success

Introduction to Global Journeys

• General education requirement
• Fully funded
• First-year, spring semester course with embedded faculty-led travel
• Taught by faculty across diverse disciplines
• Locations in Central & Latin America, Europe, Northern & West Africa, and the U.S.

• Identify, explain, and analyze global themes, processes, and systems

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• Critically examine the relationship between dominant and marginalized cultures, subcultures or groups

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• Demonstrate knowledge and skills essential for global engagement
• ethics of travel
• identity & culture

Student benefit = community benefit

Service Learning

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community service

+

academic instruction

+

reflection

=

enrich learning

+

address

community needs

Service Learning

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Workshops

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Peer to Peer Exchange

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Community visits

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Experiencial Learning

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Experiential Learning

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Fundraising

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Fair Trade Learning Model = mutually beneficial, reciprocal, prioritizes the community

Contributes directly to Navajo economy

Itinerary planned in collaboration with local leaders

Daily itinerary includes learning from community and service to community

Community Based Learning at Agnes Scott - Navajo Nation

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“I don’t think I’ll ever go on a trip like this again, and I think that’s a good thing. An experience like this is really only unique once. I learned a lot about myself and the world around me, and I got to try some things that I never would have done otherwise. Didn’t like all of them, but that’s okay!”

Student Reflections

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Galen University Peer to Peer exchange.

An Environmental Impact Assessment - a shared assignment for both ASC and Galen University students

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Community Based Learning at Agnes Scott - Belize

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“My experience with Global Journeys was both impactful and unforgettable. I gained insight into the amazing work being done by local organizations. This journey provided me with the understanding of cultural differences, which I will carry with me for a lifetime. Overall, it was a wonderful experience that had personal growth, community engagement and cross-cultural learning.”

Student Reflections

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Community Based Learning at Agnes Scott - Paris

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• Tourists see a romanticized “postcard Paris.”
• In contrast, we aimed to reveal multiple Parises — postcolonial, immigrant, working-class, religiously diverse.
• Visits included Museum of Immigration, Institute de Monde Arabe, neighborhood tours focused on various ethnic groups, etc.

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“My Journeys trip was meaningful to me because it showed me that Paris is much more than what it is traditionally represented as in media. It is a beautiful city filled with diverse culture and diverse people, which is a far cry from the ethnic homogeneity that is often associated with Paris and France at large.”

Student Reflections

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• Learning objectives
• Host objectives / goals/ needs
• Financial contribution
• Cultural exchange
• Potential for continuity

Community Based Learning Evaluation Tool

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Case Study Exercise

• Read your case study
• What are the pros and cons of the activity options?
• Which activity will your group choose and why?
• Determine a spokesperson for your group!

Negative

Positive

Income

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Long term collaboration

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Cultural preservation

Maintenance

Americanization

Distraction

Destabilization

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Community-based Learning Impact

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Community-based Learning Best Practices

• Prioritize financial contribution over service
• Challenge faculty and providers to rethink touristic approach
• Attain formal training for cultural exchange and guided reflections
• Plan strategically based on student and host objectives
• Encourage community partners to take leadership roles

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Questions

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Resources

• Presentation Handout
• Community-Based Global Learning Collaborative (CBGLC) and Fair Trade Learning toolkit
• https://www.cbglcollab.org/ftl
• GlobalUp - AFS Global Competence Certificate
• https://www.globalup.com/

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Evaluation

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