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Introduction Melisa K. Orozco and Robert W. Franco Kapi‘olani Community College There’s no better time than the present to explore educational opportunities that expose students to our increasingly interconnected and complex world. Globalization, for instance, has decomposed barriers to movement such that current migration trends have dramatically altered local demographics , hence the need for bilingual and culturally sensitive professionals and service providers. The Internet liberates knowledge and idea sharing in an unprecedented way; when an issue like environmental sustainability is at the forefront of political and economic agendas, we look to indigenous groups from across the planet for lessons on sustainable living. Mother Nature demonstrates vividly (and oftentimes alarmingly) interconnectedness : tsunamis, hurricanes, flooding, oil spills, and the like and their global repercussions clearly demonstrate the urgent need for cross-cultural collaboration and understanding of their causes and potential solutions. This chapter, “Global Studies and Local Outreach to Exceptional Populations,” illustrates the important role that indigenous, intercultural, and international service experiences—as “global” as Malawi or Belize, and as “local” as New Orleans or North Manchester—can play in the formation of globally competent students. Through the use of service-learning pedagogies, students from disciplines such as social work, foreign language , and education gain new perspectives and an enriched academic experience by directly engaging with individuals and communities representing diverse cultural, linguistic, and geographic backgrounds. The array of course and project models provided within will surely motivate you to consider what your unique indigenous , intercultural or international service-learning course or program might look like, and inventory the resources or support systems disposable for implementation. The following articles are quite complementary and provide valuable program examples. From them we created a list of hints to developing indigenous, intercultural, and international programs based on the valuable program examples. Advance work and preparation is critical, as is a balance between the service experiences and opportunities to explore the community beyond the service site. ■ ■ For international service-learning, a long-term faculty connection to the host country assures quicker course and learning goal development and program implementation and helps to keep costs down (Luciani , Sylvia; Barber, Jones, Kelly). Where there is no prior connection, much more time and front-end work are required to assure a smooth program (Richards); ■ ■ Pre-departure orientation, prepares students for their service, learning, interactions, protocol, culture, geography, history, and language. The Internet can help facilitate this process (Barber, Jones, Kelly). Incountry orientation should be delivered by local hosts and educators; ■ ■ Cultural excursions are a must; they solidify and add depth to the student’s experience through informal interactions with nature, food, music, art, dance, etc. (Anderson; Luciani, Sylvia; Barber, Jones, Kelly; Richards); 4 Global Studies and Local Outreach to Exceptional Populations Service-learning can engage language students with immigrant communities, and encourage them to envision using the language in their future careers (Rogers; Becerra, Espenschied-Reilly). ■ ■ Even at the beginner level, language students who serve start to breakdown cultural barriers and connect to the native community (Simon); ■ ■ Students gain a deeper appreciation for and understanding of the immigrants that live in their communities , by spending time in one of the sending countries (Bender, Huq); Indigenous, intercultural, and international service programs can provide a multitude of benefits for the students and communities involved. ■ ■ Students in global programs serve with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous groups, and direct-service providers, engaging in tasks directly related to their academic majors or careers (Richards ; Luciani, Sylvia; Barber, Jones, Kelly); ■ ■ Intercultural programs based on urgent needs, as a result of current events/initiatives or natural disasters, can be very effective and rewarding (Anderson; Maccio; Gustad-Leiker); ■ ■ Service-learning in courses fully dedicated to service and community engagement benefit students and service providers. The energy of an entire class can accomplish daunting tasks such as empirical datacollecting surveys (Maccio; Anstadt, Gustad-Leiker); Outcomes, and their assessment, should be specific to the project, include students, service providers, and service recipients. They may include essays, portfolios, oral presentations, posters, etc. ■ ■ Dailyreflectionandjournalsareessentialforthestudenttocapturedailylessons,experiences,andshould be monitored daily. Deep reflection can be accomplished post-international experience, especially when the experience prepared students for their local service; a seminar dedicated entirely to service (Connections Seminar) provides a forum where students can exchange ideas between ‘there’ and ‘here’ (Bender, Huq); ■ ■ For language students, portfolios, rather than a single reflection component, capture a greater picture of students’ experiences (Becerra, Espenschied-Reilly; Abbott, Lear). Experiences can be further enhanced when the oral presentation is not a monologue read off a paper...

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