Kahne and Westheimer Reflection

   This article made me think about the Strength-Based approach in the field of social work, which I learned about in my Early Childhood Education and Social Work class. The Kahne and Westheimer article discussed the differences between service learning projects motivated by charity and by change. Those motivated by charity tend to make the assumption that the people that are receiving aid have little to nothing to offer in return so they just give help without gaining any knowledge or understanding. Also those motivated by charity might look down on those who they are helping, like  in the article they talked about the middle school students who went to an elementary school in a poor neighborhood. The students and their parents had all these negative assumptions about the kinds of people who lived in that neighborhood. 

   By contrast the service learning projects that are motivated by change align more closely with the Strength-Based Approach to social work. The strength based approach emphasizes that everyone no matter where they come from has something to offer, therefore everyone can learn from one another. When you participate in a social learning project with this approach in mind it creates a reciprocal relationship between you and those that you help, it isn't you looking down on someone simply giving them things. Instead it becomes two people or two groups of people creating a dialogue and helping each other.  

   It's hard to say whether service learning projects motivated by change or by charity are better because in both scenario's those who need help are receiving it. The question is do motives really matter? This is where ethics and moral philosophy comes into play. I took an ethics course for my first year seminar where we talked about this and really there isn't a right answer. However it is undeniable that service learning projects motivated by change does create a deeper understanding of the world