Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA —  A fire last month in Fagaima resulted in four of the village’s families losing their homes. In response to the needs of the fire victims, students in two sections of the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) summer class Introduction to Psychology (PSY 150) recently organized a donation of household goods and personal items to help the four affected families during their period of transition into new living spaces.

Under the leadership of instructor Mrs. Tala Ropeti-Leo, the 28 students in PSY 150 sections 1 and 2 presented the donation to representatives from each family during a presentation held at ASCC on Thursday, July 9th..

Mrs. Ropeti-Leo shared that her classes — comprising two sections of PSY 150 — organized themselves into groups of four, which each group planning how to fundraise and which items they would get. “Some students sewed pillowcases and made the pillows themselves,” she said, “while others did walkathons and pledges so they could make purchases.” By the end of the fundraising period the students had more than enough goods to distribute evenly between the four families.

“There was such an abundance of clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, beddings, food items as well as baby items and basic hygiene items,” she recalled.

At the July 9th ceremony, PSY 150 students Vise Feagaiga and Fuarosa Molesi acted as class representatives and presented the donations to the four families. Faaitaita Faaifoaso spoke on behalf of the families, who also had representatives present.

Since she began teaching Introduction to Psychology at ASCC little over ten years ago, Mrs. Ropeti-Leo has always had her students engage in a community service project each spring, summer and fall semester.

She gives them the option to work individually, but says they usually choose to work as a group, sometimes on projects that utilize fundraising, and other times on activities that only require their time, such as volunteering at the summer school programs as reading tutors or doing beach cleanups. During the current summer semester, when she told her students about the fire in Fagaima that consumed the four households, they immediately voted to support these families’ during their recovery.

A project that supports the community in some way becomes in itself a valuable learning experience, Mrs. Ropeti-Leo emphasized. “Aside from donating time, effort, money or items in these projects,” she explained, “students have the opportunity to improve communication, organizational and leadership skills, as well as their ability to express ideas and be creative on how to come up with the donations of their choice. In the process of getting their donations together, students also advance in their engagement and collaboration skills.

“Some of my students who rarely ask questions or speak up during class discussion are more vocal and more enthusiastic when they work in these projects. As an instructor, I see a lot more harmony and collaboration amongst students as they organize a service for their community.”

When asked how community service relates to Psychology, Mrs. Ropeti-Leo shared some insights based on her long experience in linking the subject with real-life experience.

“One of the core course learning outcomes for PSY 150 is that students gain an understanding of themselves and others through the application of theories in the field of Psychology,” she said. “Through these projects, students become active members of their community and have a lasting positive impact on society by providing a service to those in need.

“The act of giving actually triggers psychological benefits by activating brain regions associated with reward and social connection, which is something we discuss in class. Students learn that by making donations to the fire victims, they play a role in mitigating the victims' trauma, which ranges from emotional shock to post-traumatic stress and sleep deprivation.”

With public service projects having become a regular component of her PSY 150 classes, Mrs. Ropeti-Leo pointed out how the “service” often involves the public itself.

“This project was made possible by my amazing 28 students and the support of the community,” she explained. “For all who supported my students and I, whether it was giving money, clothes, shoes, or food items, we thank you so much for helping us make this possible.

“In doing these community service projects, I hope the students learn to work well with each other and enjoy giving back to the community, but also that they foster a sense of responsibility to their community, their people, and those around them, especially those in need.”

For more information on educational activities and opportunities at ASCC, visit the College’s website at www.amsamoa.edu.