OUR MISSION & PHILOSOPHY
OUR MISSION
SERVOL is an organisation of weak, frail, ordinary, imperfect yet hope-filled and committed people seeking to help weak, frail, ordinary, hope-drained people become agents of attitudinal and social change in a journey that leads to total human development.
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It does so through respectful intervention in the lives of others and seeks to empower individuals and communities to develop as role models for the nation.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
We do not have all the answers and solutions to people’s problems. To understand and assist people we must attentively listen to them; only then can we move forward from a place of ignorance to a place of wisdom and make decisions that will improve the lives of others.
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It is wrong to assume that those less fortunate are unwise and incapable of solving their own problems. Our role is to promote self-sufficiency through Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, Emotional and Social Development.
At SERVOL, we subscribe to what our Founder Fr. Gerard Pantin calls a
“Philosophy of Ignorance”
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ATTENTIVE LISTENING
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We use attentive listening to improve our relationships with others and to connect with people. When someone is sharing their views and feelings we give our undivided attention and respect. We listen in silence. We use silence to learn from and understand each other.
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RESPECTFUL INTERVENTION
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Our philosophy of respectful intervention speaks of not presuming to know what another person needs but asking the question, “How can I help you?”
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The SERVOL Tree – a tree disconnected from its roots – symbolizes the Mission of SERVOL to work with individuals and communities who for one reason or another have become “disconnected” from themselves, their families, and educational opportunities; thereby empowering them through the SERVOL programmes to realize their full potential – to reconnect to their roots.