Mount Mercy University Students Reflect on Service-Learning Program in Romania with United Planet

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES, February 16, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- To start 2024, Mount Mercy University students joined United Planet on a service-learning program in Romania. While there, the group volunteered for a nonprofit organization called PRO VITA Association, refurbishing and cleaning their bedrooms and making emotional connections with the children at a local boarding school.

Aside from the volunteer work the group was doing, they also had the opportunity to explore the diversity of Romania. One of the activities included a visit to Bran Castle, also known as Dracula’s Castle. This castle was the inspiration for the castle of Count Dracula in Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’.

The students showed a deep interest in Romanian culture throughout their stay, which also included Romanian language lessons and home-cooked meals. “I enjoyed building relationships with the youth in Romania. The thing that really brought us together was our love for music and dance. We would have dance parties most nights where we would learn Romanian dances and they would learn American dances! Music was a great way to cross those cultural barriers and build connections,” Cara, Coordinator of Volunteerism and Service at Mount Mercy University, shares.

Upon their return, the students reflect on their time in Romania and all the connections they’ve made throughout the ten days they were there. “During my Romania service trip, the highlight was interacting with the local children and witnessing the joy we brought them. Their happiness left a lasting impression, emphasizing the power of simple gestures in making a positive impact,” Shellbyann, a student at Mount Mercy University says.

United Planet has been providing global faculty-led community engagement programs to college and university partners around the United States.

ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers personalized, immersive, service-learning, international experiential learning, and internship experiences in more than 40 countries. Volunteers and interns have helped address important global issues—such as health, children and education, and environmental sustainability while developing leadership and other 21st-century skills, building bridges across divides, and forging cohesive and productive cross-border relationships both in-person and online.

Mohammad Hijazi
United Planet
+1 617-874-8041
mohammad@unitedplanet.org
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