From Biloxi to Cape Town: Curricular Integration of Service Learning

Abstract

Team Reach Out started as a student-initiated service-learning project with the goal of providing on-going assistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Four years after Hurricane Katrina, Team Reach Out refocused efforts to Cape Town, South Africa, where 4 senior nursing students and 1 science student integrated their leadership skills with the application of public health knowledge, compassion, and concern to work in partnership with several international health agencies. This article reviews the service-learning framework, course planning, and implementation of a recent service-learning project.