SERVICE LEARNING
On a brisk Friday afternoon, men line up to receive their dinner amid the aroma of freshly cooked potatoes while Christian music plays in the background. College of Saint Benedict senior Merideth Erusha exchanges banter and easy laughter with each of the men. Erusha volunteers her time at the Dream Center in St. Cloud, Minn., a nondenominational Christian facility that works to provide emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual support to men recently out of prison and on parole. Erusha began volunteering at the Dream Center in January 2011 as a service learning project for a course called Mediation and Conflict Resolution. She was trained how to interact with the men through a video made by the pastor at the center. After she fulfilled her required hours, she continued working over the summer. During fall semester 2011, she enrolled in another course, Criminology and Corrections, which required 20-40 service hours. By the semester’s end, Erusha had dedicated over 70 service hours. “Service learning students often build very strong relationships with the people they are serving with,” says Marah Jacobson-Schulte, service learning coordinator at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. “We have had students start with a service learning course and continue to volunteer after the semester, intern at the site, or even become employed. Many students find that they themselves are the ones who benefit from the service.” That was the case for Erusha.
Merideth Erusha at the Dream Center
“I’m researching about 80 counties in Minnesota to find housing, education and Social Security, basically anything that would be needed when someone gets out of prison,” she says. During her time at the Dream Center, Erusha quickly eased into a comfortable routine. “I’ve never, ever felt unsafe there,” she says. “I promised myself I would never ask these men why they are there because the reason why was never the point. These men are here because they want to move past their history and reach acceptance without knowledge of their pasts.” Although Erusha kept her promise to herself, there were still instances in which men would approach and confide in her. “There was one man who was very tough, tattooed and not personable,” she says. “One day he asked if he could talk to me. We spoke in Spanish and ended up talking for over three hours about his history with gangs and schizophrenia.” This was Erusha’s first in-depth conversation with any of the men. She left feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to handle all of the information she had been given, but was able to discuss it with her classmates and professor the following week. “That first conversation has stuck with me, and I will never forget that man,” Erusha says. “Since then, I have learned how to deal with that type of information, but it never gets any easier for me to hear.” Erusha will graduate in May as a peace studies major and Hispanic studies minor. She hopes to move to Chile and pursue a career in social work, continuing to work with ex-convicts and anyone else who may need assistance. “If I’ve taken anything away from my service learning experience, it’s that we need to take the time to listen and give people a chance,” Erusha says. “We never know who can teach us something valuable. Everyone has something to offer, whether it be to you, society or the world.”
“If I’ve taken anything away from my service learning experience, it’s that we need to take the time to listen and give people a chance.” “I went there thinking I didn’t have preconceived notions, but realized I did,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot about how ‘real’ these men are. A lot of them are felons and are thought of as big and frightening, and they have a tendency to be ignored when they really don’t need to be. They are regular people.” The Criminology and Corrections course has proven especially helpful for Erusha when spending her time at the Dream Center. “In class we talked about theories behind criminal behavior,” she says. “After talking about it, I could see aspects of different theories in the men by the way they talk about their lives. I use my experiences at the Dream Center in class, and my class experiences at the Dream Center. It goes both ways.” When Erusha began volunteering, she answered phones and assisted with meals and cleaning. She gradually progressed and spent time socializing and helping the men set a plan of action for their lives. She also became involved in the Greater Minnesota Reentry Coalition project.
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