Activism and Service-Learning: Reframing Volunteerism As Acts of Dissent

Students in a sophomore-level English class were discussing the community service component of the required, one-credit course introducing them to the university. Some reported completing this component on their own; others had done group projects. One student was particularly pleased with her experience: her group had gone to a local beach and picked up litter. The instructor asked her, “Don’t you think it would have been more effective if your group had targeted the source of the pollution on the beach, perhaps by picketing at the local businesses that contribute most to the need for beach cleanup?” This student balked at the idea. When asked about performing environmental activism, she claimed immediately and emphatically that it “would go against my beliefs.” This young woman was very keen on community service but almost offended at the idea of activism. What is the difference, and where does this attitude come from? What caused this student’s enthusiasm for community service but her discomfort with activism? We are interested in these questions because students asked to participate in forms of service have preconceived