Upcoming Service Learning in Malaysia

This trip to Malaysia is my second experience with the Power of One program. My first was in Australia in 2023, where we worked closely with Aboriginal community organizations. The work felt meaningful in a grounded and human way. Preparing meals in a food kitchen, meeting with local leaders, and listening to stories from those who shaped the programs reminded me how service becomes powerful when it is relational rather than performative. Those experiences offered a glimpse into communities advocating for visibility, healing, and self-determination, and they taught me how much can shift internally when you stand alongside people rather than observe from a distance. Research affirms this, noting that service learning significantly enhances empathy, purpose, and well-being (Celio et al., 2011). I felt that firsthand.

Reflecting on that experience helps shape my expectations for our service-learning project in Malaysia. The cultural context is markedly different. In Australia, we engaged with Aboriginal groups navigating deep historical inequities and ongoing struggles for recognition. Here in Malaysia, service learning interacts with a much more integrated societal system, where diversity and interdependence are built into national identity. I am curious to understand how service functions within this framework, and how helping others might look when the community is not fighting for visibility but navigating coexistence among multiple cultural groups. As in past experiences, I come back to the idea that service is less about what we do and more about how we show up. Giving back improves well-being not simply because of the act itself, but because it deepens connection, meaning, and shared humanity (Aknin et al., 2013).

My goals for this trip are rooted in presence and humility. I hope to engage with intention, without assuming that what I learned in Australia applies here. I want to understand how Malaysians support one another in a multicultural framework and how service is woven into everyday life. Professionally, this work always shifts how I teach. Service learning reminds me that support, whether academic or interpersonal, begins with listening. It also expands my understanding of community: how it forms, adapts, and sustains itself across cultures. When we complete our in-country project, I will return to this post to reflect honestly on whether my expectations aligned with the experience, what surprised me, and what stayed with me long after leaving.

References

Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., Whillans, A. V., Grant, A. M., & Norton, M. I. (2013). Making a difference matters: Impact of prosocial spending on happiness. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(4), 361–365.

Celio, C. I., Durlak, J., & Dymnicki, A. (2011). A meta-analysis of the impact of service-learning on students. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(2), 164–181.