CSL placement gets student talking to soup kitchen visitors

Roslin Sinclair is completing her final term of a bachelor’s in history at uOttawa. One of her courses has been CDN4100 (Perspective-taking in Policy Development and Conflict Resolution), a Canadian studies course taught by Professor Tracy Coates, in which she chose the Community Service Learning (CSL) placement option.

Roslin had never done a placement and thought that it was something that she would like to try before graduating. All of the placements seemed really interesting, but the one with the Shepherds of Good Hope soup kitchen appealed to her the most. Open 365 days a year, the soup kitchen provides nutritious meals to Ottawa’s homeless and most vulnerable citizens.

When asked about her placement, Roslin says, “I don't know if I have learned anything in terms of gaining new knowledge, but I have become more comfortable with talking to people. I am generally very quiet and prefer to listen to what others have to say. But while volunteering, I don’t have anyone to hide behind, and when I’m handing out the food or collecting dishes, I am interacting with the clients, and I’m actually having a lot of fun doing it!”

Roslin adds, “I will admit I wasn’t sure how the clients would be. I guess I had this idea that I would feel uncomfortable and wouldn’t know how to interact with them. But for the most part, the people who come in are easygoing and really fun to talk with!”

She concludes: “To anyone who is thinking about volunteering at the Shepherds of Good Hope, I would say go for it!”