Serving the Community: Long-Lasting Benefits

We live in an incredible era in which many young folks take it upon themselves to do community service, an activity which when I was a kid was more associated with punishment than with choice. Without going into detail, I think I even received it as a punishment once for a now-forgotten offense. The benefits of serving the community are far-reaching and last well beyond the adolescent years. In fact, an article in The New York Times reminds us that “in the most positive light, such service teaches children and teenagers to look beyond themselves and understand the role they can play in their community and country.”* A study described in this article concluded that three years after performing community service, many students were “more likely to volunteer or be involved in some civic activity.”

We know community service can have positive outcomes, but too often it is mandatory and tied to school or church or camp or some other institution. In this case, young people can become disenfranchised and see service as just another obligation. Again, from the referenced article: “if teenagers — and adults for that matter — are thrust in a volunteer situation they don’t understand or feel that they are simply being assigned made-up work, it can actually have a detrimental effect.” The question is can we instill the value of these activities in our young people without having it come off as yet another mandatory assignment? Here are some thoughts for promoting community activities that will have a lasting effect on the student and the community:

Pick something you’re actually passionate about. When I was high school, I was forced to join the “Green Team,” a club that went around the school to collect the recycling. I hated it, not the recycling itself, but the fact that I had been forced to do it. Looking back, had the club been centered around something I held great passion about, the experience would have been different. If, for instance, you’re a dog lover, you can find literally hundreds of volunteer opportunities. Here is a site on which you can search your interests and associate with organizations that support your cause:

https://www.dosomething.org/us

Bring friends. Everything’s better with your buddies. I’ve spoken to many students who have gone on service trips or volunteered with friends. They tell me about how, beyond the value of the experience itself, volunteering can bring you closer and foster your personal relationships.

Make friends. As great as it can be to experience service with your friends, it’s equally valuable to create new relationships through your service. At my age, this is called “networking,” and I’ve been lucky enough to do it through some of my service activities, but for young people, it can help lay the foundation for a lifetime of connecting with people and being open to sharing, discussing, and working on complex societal issues.

Allow yourself to feel good. I volunteered last Thanksgiving with Meals on Wheels, delivering dinners to less fortunate folks in our area. When I got home, an incredible feeling of gratitude overcame me as I walked into my house. I promise I’m not being self-centered here; I simply believe that feeling the gratitude can help plant the seed of service and make it something you incorporate into your life. And this cycle of giving back and feeling good about what you’ve done can only do positive things for the community and the world.

*http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/your-money/31shortcuts.html?_r=0

Written by Phil Lane