Enhancing Diversity Through Mentorship: The Nurturing Potential of Service Learning

Background and Purpose. A curriculum-based service-learning (SL) project provided: (1) integration of SL principles; (2) a description of a viable SL model; and (3) a method to increase awareness of the profession of physical therapy for a diverse population of school-age students, promoting active participation and enhancing community linkages within a mentor/protégé framework. Method/Model Description and Evaluation. SL is experiential education with community service, connecting theory and real-life practice with reflection opportunities. Through mentor/protégé relationships, students were mentored by health care professionals, investigated theoretical constructs of mentoring and pluralism, and explored viable communities for diversity enhancement projects. Students proposed sites, then winnowed selections, identified resources, and developed curricular plans for SL. In concert with faculty and administrative staffs, mentoring plans were set in motion for two communities: (1) a hands-on museum attracting diverse K-6 students from six counties, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing and migrant farm workers' children of Hispanic descent and (2) an after-school program for African American children from low-income families. Evaluative data collected determined the effectiveness of mentoring interventions and experiences aligned with objectives. Illustrating the intended SL purposes, physical therapist (PT) students concluded with in-class presentations utilizing videotape vignettes, photographs, administrative evaluations, and self-assessments and team assessments. The implemented projects included age-appropriate interactive learning exhibits and skits, emphasizing PT roles and responsibilities. Outcomes. Artifacts and evaluations supported the nurturing potential of SL through these community-based mentor/protégé encounters. Clearly achieving course objectives and community needs, PT students promoted the profession to a diverse student population and creative leadership roles were realized beyond the traditional classroom/clinic. Students were recognized with the National Student Assembly “Student Outreach for Cultural Diversity Awareness” Award. Discussion and Conclusion. Through this SL model, additional professional implications were realized: (1) the unexpected outcomes of students as stewards and leaders; (2) an avenue to serve as mentors for at-risk school-age children, who otherwise might not have gained first-hand exposure and insight into the profession; (3) a positive and meaningful experience to allow students to provide community service while fulfilling university service outcomes; and (4) enhanced exposure to the profession beyond the classroom and clinical walls, nurturing the spirit of service. PT students assumed ownership of these projects bridging classroom theories and readings with real-life application, with faculty in the role of facilitators of the learning experience.