West Gaines School Community Center: The Impact of Service-Learning in a Rural Community through Civic Engagement

Abstract

Third-year interior design students collaborated with alumni from the West Gaines Colored School in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to design a Black history museum and community center. This service-learning studio connected students with an underserved rural community, providing a sense of purpose while applying their skills (Lapinid & Toledano, 2009). Experiential learning emphasizes reflection, critical thinking, and social responsibility, highlighting storytelling, trust, and active listening. Students and community members collaborated to tackle common challenges. According to Miller (1997), the success of service-learning depends on the quality of relationships, with trust being essential for lasting connections. Understanding local heritage and the stories of figures who support marginalized communities is crucial. Using narrative methods, this project aims to convey Lawrenceburg's history and its relevance to the current initiative, fostering connections that enhance student learning and engagement (Rhodes, 2019). The term 'colored' is used as it appears in historical documents.