Service Learning: understanding value in public budgeting and public service
| Author | S. M. Emerson |
| Published date | 01 March 2001 |
| Date | 01 March 2001 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/014473940102100103 |
S M Emerson/Service Learning: understanding
value
in
public budgeting and public service
SERVICE
LEARNING:
UNDERSTANDING
VALUE
IN
PUBLIC
BUDGETING
AND
PUBLIC
SERVICE
S.
M.
EMERSON
California State University, Pomona
This paper discusses a service learning experience between a public budgeting
class and a non-profit agency. When the subject matter
for
a course is technically
challenging, service learning exercises can
be
designed to
be
both focused and
flexible. This case describes such a module and the value derived from this
experience for the students and client. It suggests that while long-term student
immersion into a community organisation is ideal, much is gained from a short-
term project that is seamlessly woven into the fabric
of
a course.
Introduction
Oscar Wilde noted that a cynic
is
one who knows the price
of
everything and the
value
of
nothing. A public finance and budgeting class needs to balance such skills
as estimating trends or discounting future costs with an appreciation
of
what public
and non-profit agencies provide to their communities (Kraft,
1996;
Smith, 1994).
The challenge is to find an activity that is meaningful to the students and
worthwhile to the client. In the spring term
of
200 1 a group
of
undergraduates from
this university took on an assignment
from
a community-based organisation,
Project Sister, to estimate the cost and value
of
the agency's victim-advocate
volunteer programme.
In the aftermath
of
a rape, Project Sister volunteers work closely with police,
health professionals, and others to enable victims to deal with the trauma
of
rape
and begin the process
of
recovery.
The
students were asked to (1) assume the
service would
be
provided by a paying agency and prepare a budget, (2) estimate
the expected hourly cost
of
the service and (3) reflect upon and discuss the value
of
the service to the community.
The client would get a detailed budget with
an
explanation
of
how each line item
was developed to support the estimated hourly rate
of
a volunteer. The report
29
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