ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the potential of service-learning for personal empowerment, and the relevance of empowerment for service-learning pedagogy as well as for citizenship and democracy. It defines empowerment and discusses the importance of empowerment theory for education, personal growth, social movements, and transformational politics. The chapter explains the ways in which specific models of service-learning and types of empowerment might be linked. Attitudes and capabilities are the key attributes of individual empowerment. The self-esteem and self-efficacy components define a positive self-concept that is basic to an individual’s psychological empowerment. Possessing social skills as well as knowledge about community needs and the availability of resources changes the individual’s possibilities and probabilities for participation in community events and organizations. To the extent that service-learning classrooms are teacher-centered, hierarchically organized, and apolitical or even uncritically support the political status quo, they might be vulnerable to this same kind of criticism leveled at traditional models of education.
