Hurricane Katrina: Opportunities to Learn and Serve

We all want to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our listservs and organization websites have been a conduit for ideas, resources, and possible actions, as well as a general outpouring of compassion. We are fortunate to belong to a caring community with a strong foundation, able to generate quick responses to challenging situations through service-learning.

As we work with students, the following considerations may prove helpful.

• What words do we use? Choice of words in describing people and their situation or circumstance is important. For example, have students discuss the words they hear describing those displaced by the hurricane. Compare words like "refugees," "evacuees," and "survivors." What does each communicate? Choice of words in describing people and their situation or circumstance is important. For example, discuss the use of saying "homeless people," versus saying "people who are homeless?" I would suggest that the latter reminds us they are people first and foremost.
• What particular assistance do evacuees from the Gulf Coast relocated in your community need? Requests range from material goods such as household supplies and clothing, to service needs such as child care, resume assistance, tutoring and mentoring, or afterschool programs. The federal government's website, Hurricane Help for Schools, posts a list of schools that need supplies or help with the influx of new students.
• What is the state of emergency readiness in your own community? As students take the initiative to reach out to families affected by the hurricane, consider the emergency readiness of your community. Who is best and least prepared to deal with a disaster? People everywhere lack the resources needed in emergencies, although there is a potential for natural disasters in every locale. Discuss what agencies need help to reach people in remote locations. Exceptional projects of this nature are already in place, a subject for a future Cathy's Corner. Check with your state Learn and Serve office for additional examples.
• Many service-learning themes can be examined from local, state, national, and international perspectives. By studying last December's tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, students can research and compare responses to each by individuals, local nonprofits, international organizations, governments, and businesses. Civic education is enhanced by understanding the role of the individual, the community, the government, and other support systems, both those established and those that emerge in response to a disaster. Ultimately, from these studies, we can foster understanding of the need for full participation by all community membersboth to respond effectively to a natural disaster as well as to maintain a thriving democracy.
• Learn the most current information from newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and television. A recent Washington Post article highlights the service-learning response to the hurricane in some schools (although the term is not used). Read the article, Storm’s Many Lessons Reach the Classroom by Lori Aratani (September, 11, 2005).
• Literature often adds another dimension to student learning. The following books describe past disasters and can provide a connection to present dilemmas facing people across the globe.
  • The Irish potato famine: The Adventurous Chef Alexis Soyer, by Ann Arnold, describes how, in 1847, Alexis Soyer created a soup kitchen in Dublin, which could make 9,000 meals a day. In The Long March: The Choctaw's Gift to Irish Famine Relief, by Marie-Louise Kitzpatrick, describes how, from the precious little they had, the Choctaw collected $170 (at least $5,000 by today's standards) to send overseas.
  • For insight about being displaced, Home is Where We Live: Life at a Shelter through a Young Girl's Eyes, by Bonnie Lee Groth, is a photo essay about how a young girl acclimates to shelter life and comes to accept the people who help her.
  • In A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World, a UNICEF book, we meet children from 180 countries and see how they pursue a good life for themselves and their communities, often amidst seemingly insurmountable challenges.
  • In Flood Friday, Lois Lenski conveys vividly to young readers the frightening days of a flood hitting a Connecticut town and how a great disaster brings out the generosity and kindness of others. (out of print, but still worth finding).

Remember to share your experiences with the entire service-learning community. Our responses to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath can inform current and future efforts to address the needs of those affected by calamitous events. Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A.
National Service Learning Consultant
© 2005 Cathryn Berger Kaye

Several book listings in this article are excerpted from The Complete Guide to Service Learning: Proven, Practical Ways to Engage Students in Civic Responsibility, Academic Curriculum, & Social Action by Cathryn Berger Kaye, M.A. © 2004. Used with permission of Free Spirit Publishing Inc., Minneapolis, MN; 1-866-703-7322; http://www.freespirit.com/. All rights reserved.

Cathryn Berger Kaye is a service-learning consultant and author of The Complete Guide to Service Learning. Visit her website, http://www.abcdbooks.org/, click on Curriculum for free service-learning curriculum offerings. Cathy can be reached at cbkaye@aol.com.

Cathy's Corner Archives