Holiday Community Service

Service Learning and Holiday Giving at Pacific Oaks Children’s School

The families who founded Pacific Oaks Children’s School were dedicated to ending racism, teaching peace, and pursuing social justice.  At Pacific Oaks we try to continue that legacy in two ways.  First, older children engage in service learning projects.  “Service learning” or “community based learning” is an educational approach that emphasizes projects and processes in which participants learn as they help community organizations or causes.  As a philosophy service learning prioritizes collaboration and complementary relationships over charity.  This past year children at Pacific Oaks have been involved with a variety of local organizations.  Students in School Age Child Care (SACC) have been learning about the humane society, children in Adventure Yard have been working with Allegra House, La Loma has been partnering with Odyssey Charter School and La Tierra has been working with the Mother’s Club.

While service learning is different from charity, charitable giving can provide an important example for Pacific Oaks children and an opportunity to talk about social justice in ways they can understand. Each winter holiday season Pacific Oaks Children’s School collects items for donation.  During this process we encourage parents to talk about sharing what we have with others.  With older children we also try to talk about the historical and social reasons that some groups of people are impoverished while others are privileged.  By talking about why groups of people are rich or poor instead of why individuals are rich or poor we attempt to break out of the purely psychological or cultural explanations prevalent in popular discourse and help our children understand the global society in which we live.  This past year we collected for two charities.

1)  Las Familias Del Pueblo is a store-front charity that has helped the families of garment workers in downtown Los Angeles for the last twenty-five years.  This organization runs adult English classes, a charter school, and an after-school program for about 100 children.  From December to February work slows down and families may be strapped for money; donations of food help. Food donations are also encouraged because they allow parents to save money and buy their children Christmas presents themselves.  With school out for winter holidays, children in families with parents who are working will be spending twelve hours a day with Los Familias Del Pueblo.  Games and books help children entertain themselves in this small space.  Las Familias Del Pueblo relies on word of mouth to solicit support.

2)  Union Station Family Center is located in Pasadena and is part of an organization that provides many services to the poor and homeless.  Every Christmas they sponsor a Christmas party in Central Park in Pasadena where they feed about 1500 people and distribute toys to children.  Their website is: http://www.unionstationfoundation.org

This holiday season we will be collecting donations again, so if you are a Pacific Oaks family, stay tuned for more information on our holiday collections and who they will go to.

For more information please contact Cynthia Strathmann.