Capability of Building Initiatives for the Elderly of the Sociology and Anthropology Students

Abstract

This article describes the one semester community immersion and T capability building experiences with the elderly of the Sociology and Anthropology students. From this activity, the students gained a clear strategic direction and heightened social commitment to serve the people in their needs. The vision of "... a peaceful, meaningful, healthful, and productive life of the elderly" enabled the service-learning participants to become aware of the need to instill among the elderly a sense of their own usefulness; to organize and assist the elderly in sustaining their significant role, collective strength, sense of community, and respect and concern for one another; and, to mobilize the elderly in some forms of peace-promoting, health-sustaining, meaning-giving, and productively fulfilling individual and community life. These experiential and collective discoveries were end-results of the planned activities undertaken, problems encountered and their mitigation, accomplishments, and lessons learned during the semester.