Service-learning refers to the learning method that allows one to integrate with the community and learn through experience. It is an excellent opportunity to get new learning experience while volunteering to help the society in a better place. There are many opportunities that individuals can volunteer in the community that involves working with children, adults, seniors and individuals with special needs. The volunteering can entail providing expertise in a particular area, sharing time with people, making a donation or helping individuals in certain areas that will help people in different ways. The most important thing is to find an opportunity that will benefit both an individual and a party where the volunteering takes place ( Morrow-Howell, Hong &Tang, 2009) . My service-learning project took place in a local organization that proves services for the needy and vulnerable population in the community. I volunteered to work with adults who need special needs as it suited my interests.
I have always had an interest in helping individuals with disabilities, especially those suffering from the mental condition due to the stigma associated with the disease. My area of interest is helping people with mental illness acquire a better quality of life by offering counselling and therapy services. As a result, I sought for an organization that was offering such offers services and provide opportunities for volunteering. Integrated Life Choices provides services for adults who need support and was a perfect opportunity to experience. The organization offers rehabilitative services and residential facilities supporting these vulnerable populations with a mental and physical conditions. The organization also assists individuals with substance abuse and other drug addictions to rehabilitate them as opposed to laying blame.
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Service-learning also allows a person to apply what was learned in class to specific tasks occurring outside of the classroom while helping others. It is a method by which a person determines through active participation in a service that meets community needs. The experience helped to foster civic and corporate responsibility. The objective of engaging in the service-learning project entailed preparing for life, work and service, offering an education in a collaborative learning environment and encouraging the development of personal competencies. The project also provides a local community with intellectual resources while fostering the commitment to build a better society ( Pajo & Lee, 2011) .
Several organizations in the region were offering a variety of volunteering opportunities in different sectors such as health, environment, law and social services. I chose to volunteer in the LLP because of my interest in helping other people achieve a better quality of life. My service-learning project entailed working in a local organization that provides services for individuals with mental and physical disabilities. The service-learning project involved working with the organization to provide depression screening, support for cleaning services as well as guidance on how to live their lives. The bulk of my time was spent interacting with individuals and supporting them in different ways that will enhance and improve their lives. At the same time, I engaged in a service-learning project by volunteering to work at Integrated Life Sarpy Choices Vocational Site (VOC). In this organization, I engaged in several tasks that included helping individuals participate in community activities such as cleaning and organizing projects.
Several connections were made between my service-learning project and the themes addressed in class. The relationship touches on the areas of human dignity, equity, and subsidiarity since it took place in an organization where applicable to human dignity s abundantly clear ( Pajo & Lee, 2011) . The teachings of equality were directly exemplified while working with individuals with mental conditions, which tied directly with the class lessons. The applicability of human dignity became abundantly clear from working with the needy in the community who showed that they require support from all facets of society. Individuals with mental issues are consumed with hallucinations and delusions that make them unable to communicate their needs. They need someone to identify what they need and help them cope with the issues.
Working with people with disabilities was a great experience considering it was the first time interacting with such people. It was also an excellent opportunity to interact with such individuals and experience first-hand information on their lifestyles. College students are often at risk regarding mental health issues, which made this service-learning project more significant to carry out. The opportunity would allow us to experience the challenges that individuals with physical and mental disabilities. However, the service-learning project was also a difficult task that required perseverance and commitment that instills the essential virtues of service. This is because such people may fall into a mental breakdown and attempt acts of self-harm. Other individuals may exhibit extreme levels of depression or anxiety that affects their ability to communicate or coordinate events on their own. Our presence was to guide them through support and direction while helping such people improve their lives.
The most barriers that these vulnerable populations face in handling the condition include stigma and lack of awareness regarding the situation. The stigma towards those who have mental health illness is widespread and detrimental to the well-being of individuals suffering from the conditions ( Rüsch et al., 2005) . Most stigma-reducing programs are marginally effective, which means they rarely benefit vulnerable groups such as the elderly in society. The stigmas are real, painful and damaging, often associated with a lower quality of life. Individuals with these conditions rarely seek treatment, do not get good jobs, and often leave in fear and mistrust.
The stigmatization and negative attitude attached to mental health and other social issues often affect individuals with mental health. My experience during the social learning project revealed how much people miss out on getting help and treatment due to the negative perceptions. In most cases, people show aspects of stigmatization due to a lack of knowledge and awareness on the subject ( Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003) . Community members tend to perceive individuals with these conditions as responsible for their challenges.
People with mental illness face a lot of stigmas that prevent them from talking about the condition. The interaction with these people showed how some fear being attacked or judged for their health; due to stereotypes of associating mental illness with violence. At the same time, I learned that these vulnerable people are often isolated due to the stigma attached to the conditions ( Rüsch et al., 2005) . They like keeping feelings and emotions to themselves because they are unsure of how other people will perceive them. As a result, a majority of the people experience emotional volatility that leads to isolation and alienation. Some may also experience suicide ideation caused by depression that can threaten their lives. The isolation and alienation due to stigmatization affect how they form relationships with other people and how they relate with each other. However, they need someone to be friendly to them and help their fears and improve their confidence.
There is a higher sense of gratification and satisfaction from volunteering and helping individuals with a mental and physical conditions. The pleasure comes from making another person happy and making them feel wholesomeness. I am driven with the desire to be of significance to other people and instil a spirit of hope amidst their tribulations. In this service-learning project, I forced to help individuals with disabilities feel loved and valued. This entailed offering a helping hand and a listening ear. The most significant experience from working in this service-learning project was helping people with mental illness overcome the challenge and live a healthy, confident life. This was possible through providing encouragement and support whenever they experience the lowest moments of their lives ( Pajo & Lee, 2011) . They need a person who can understand their situation and someone they can freely express themselves without being limited by certain boundaries. The people need someone who can listen to them without judging and offer support and care.
Mental health is a social justice issue because of the many challenges that patients with the condition face when needing help. Individuals with this condition also face problems accessing social support, employment and job security and are a vulnerable part of the population. A majority of the patients are afraid to speak about it or seek medical attention in the early stages where it can be prevented. Providing support to people with mental and physical health challenges is one way of dealing with social injustices. My job entailed ensuring the people get access to the social services and the needed resources with greater equality regardless of their age, race, social or economic status. An essential part of communicating with such individuals is by allowing them to bring their issues to the surface.
I also learned the importance of providing treatment for a mental condition that is responsive to the needs of a person. This means providing resources and help that provide a culturally and gender-sensitive holistic approach to care. Holistic approaches that take into account the social, economic and cultural factors surrounding a person can change how the community handles mental health issues. At the same time, the treatment and support should not focus on the person alone, but the environment around them. For example, the support should focus on the family members and people around an individual with special needs, helping them understand how to handle the situation and help improve the person.
Several learning objectives are achieved from this service-learning project. The first objective involves reflecting on the relevance of the values discussed to the work and personal lives. This objective was essential in understanding how I can use my skills to help minority members of society. This service-learning project enabled us to know how to use the knowledge gained through experiences to improve the quality of life for others ( Pajo & Lee, 2011) . The project also involves taking active roles in helping people think about their life goals and pursue different aspects of their lives. There was more to the plan that entailed growing personally and professionally, especially in the areas of service and helping each other to grow.
Another objective that applies to this service-learning project was determining the impact of significant changes in modern society on the work and personal lives. I have developed an interest in helping the disadvantaged in the community, and the opportunity to help people with physical and mental disabilities was perfect to learn all the needed skills while helping the organization. Mental health is especially an important social issue that affects millions of people around the world. There are a lot of people with mental health illnesses who do not have adequate care due to the stigma attached to the condition ( Rüsch et al., 2005) . This is a barrier to getting the necessary treatment, as most people end up suffering in silence.
Similarly, the service-learning project equipped me with both personal and professional skills that will benefit my future life and career development. The volunteering provided an opportunity to interact with other people and learn from their skills. My personal growth from this service-learning project was improving my communication skills that were needed to interact and communicate with different people ( Morrow-Howell, Hong &Tang, 2009) . The experience in the organization taught me the essence of flexibility and adjusting to different circumstances and opportunities when they arise.
I gained enough skills and experience from interacting with several volunteers and professionals when helping individuals with mental challenges, which will impact my personal and career development. I fully understand the need to develop initiatives towards assisting vulnerable groups in society. The service-learning experience provided an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in certain areas of my personal and work while interacting with professionals in the field. This is a recipe to get the expertise needed in becoming a professional by learning while experimenting with the knowledge gained in class.
At the same time, engaging in volunteering work in this area of interest is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and valuable skills. The opportunity allowed me to learn the importance of responsibility and helping other people achieve health and wellness. The experience working with individuals in this organization also raised an important issue regarding the responsibility of society in helping people. I believe the community can play an essential role in stopping the stigma attached towards the needy in society, including the elderly, disabled and people with a mental condition ( Rüsch et al., 2005) . I have learned that no one chooses to be a disable or experience disability issues.
Interacting with the individual in the organization raised an essential issue of stigmatization associated with mental illness and the need to raise awareness. The awareness can allow people to provide community-based comprehensive care, targeting individuals with this condition. At the same time, the experienced stressed the importance of education regarding mental illness as one way of developing positive attitudes towards the disease ( Angermeyer & Matschinger, 2003) . This can be done by encouraging a better way to think about mental health that focuses on the holistic aspect of a person. The education and awareness can help the public understand mental health and disability awareness with proper communication, language and etiquette. The focus is to ensure mental health issues are viewed in the same way as other chronic illnesses and receive the same attention.
Policymakers can also collaborate in helping the vulnerable population by implementing policies to protect them from stigmatization. They can work with other bodies to implement awareness programs that can help eliminate the stigma and negative perception attached to an individual with disabilities ( Rüsch et al., 2005) . For example, most individuals with disabilities exhibit discrimination in the areas of employment and job retention. Policymakers can come in handy to ensure there is equality towards such people in job security. In essence, a lack of stigma allows individuals to struggle with mental conditions to get the necessary help and support.
My experience with the needy in the society has been fruitful and also part of a learning curve. The interaction was an excellent opportunity to experience different cultures and experiences of people that creates learning opportunities. The organization comprised of people from different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, which means they brought in different cultures. This necessitates the need to be culturally competent when interacting with people and communicating with them. I have learned that many mentally ill individuals in the community are at risk of suicide or depression due to the issues they face in society. As a result, anyone going undergoing through the project gets to understand how people with mental and physical disabilities live their lives in residential areas ( Pajo & Lee, 2011) .
In conclusion, the service-learning experience enabled me to get a volunteer in helping people with mental and physical disabilities. I engaged mainly by interacting with the people within the local organization and provide the necessary support they need to achieve health and wellness. These are conditions affecting the brain functioning of a person by changing the fundamental functions such as cognition, perception and emotion. Individuals in this organization exhibited symptoms such as depression, anxiety disorders and high-stress levels that make them vulnerable to society due to stigmatization ( Rüsch et al., 2005) .
I used this opportunity to help fight the barrier of the stigma attached to mental and physical disabilities, which is a significant barrier to their wellness. I am glad to have taken part in the service-learning project due to the opportunity to learn and grow from the opening. I finished the service-learning project on a positive note after creating a great relationship with individuals having physical and mental disabilities. Most of them come from an alienating environment and requires someone who understands how to engage and communicate with them. Sometimes individuals with mental illness need some form of motivation and empowerment to jumpstart their lives and pursue their dreams.
References
Angermeyer, M. C., & Matschinger, H. (2003). The stigma of mental illness: effects of labelling on public attitudes towards people with mental disorder. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 108(4), 304-309.
Lieberman, J. (2016, January 11). Imagine There Was No Stigma to Mental Illness | Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman | TEDxCharlottesville. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrbTbB9tTtA&t=142s
Morrow-Howell, N., Hong, S. I., & Tang, F. (2009). Who benefits from volunteering? Variations in perceived benefits. The Gerontologist, 49(1), 91-102.
Pajo, K., & Lee, L. (2011). Corporate-sponsored volunteering: A work design perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(3), 467-482.
Rüsch, N., Angermeyer, M. C., & Corrigan, P. W. (2005). Mental illness stigma: concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma. European psychiatry, 20(8), 529-539.
