The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership (IPSL) is
seeking paper and poster session proposals for its 23rd International
Conference. The conference will take place in Rapid City, South Dakota
(USA) from October 16-22, 2005. It will be organized around the
interrelated themes of listening and telling our stories through
service-learning. The many nations and cultures in which the Partnership
has worked are rich in stories and story-telling-from compelling stories
about individual lives to the myths and fables that shape the culture and
beliefs of an entire people. At its best, service-learning creates avenues
for students to enter into and understand cultures and nations through their
stories, both personal and collective-and allows students to reflect on
their own stories, and (one hopes) to change the future life course of their
stories, both personally and professionally.
Why this theme for this conference? We have chosen as our location the home
of the Lakota Nation, one of the many tribes that compose the rich and
complex world of American Indians, who live as sovereign nations within the
larger nation of the United States and whose ways of knowing and acting are
deeply entwined with the use of stories. The history and current situation
of American Indian nations is replete with powerful stories told and
powerful lessons of the need for more thoughtful listening on the part of
others. Themes of story-telling and listening, and their lessons for
service-learning in intercultural and international settings, will be
featured in keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, poster sessions and
discussion groups; in visits to service agencies in the Lakota Nation; and
in field trips to geographic sites of particular importance to many American
Indian nations of the North American Great Plains.
Paper and poster sessions will focus on three skills that are essential to
and can be developed through service-learning:
1. eliciting from "others" their stories, ideas, and opinions
2. (truly)listening and (truly) hearing the stories of those whose beliefs,
life experiences, assumptions, and epistemologies and values are different
from one's own.
3. reflecting upon and telling one's own story and how it intersects with
the stories of others
Each of these skills can be taught through service-learning. Paper and
poster sessions will give concrete examples of specific techniques that have
enhanced service-learning in these areas. The use of case studies, oral
history, participant-observation, journal writing, and incorporating service
agencies into the teaching are but a few of the means of eliciting,
listening and reflective telling of stories that can enrich and deepen the
service-learning experience for students and the community.
See www.ipsl.org/conferences <http://www.ipsl.org/conferences> for
instructions on proposing a paper or poster session. The deadline date for
submitting proposals is May 15, 2005.
Barbara Wanasek
Director of Alumni Relations and Development
The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership
815 Second Avenue, Suite 315, New York, NY 10017 USA
Main: (212) 986-0989 Direct: (212) 716-6337
Fax: (212) 986-5039 Web: www.ipsl.org