changes in community service throught the decade

Community Service Serves

Multiple Purposes

By Dr. Lori Gore-Green

At one time, community service

was thought of as a punishment,

intended to provide a second

chance for juvenile offenders who

hadn’t gone so far as to require

actual jail time.

This left the sentiment of

completing community service as a

punishment, or as something

sought after by the “bad kids.”

However, over the last decade, the

connotations surrounding the term

have shifted greatly.

The Sun Sentinel completed an

article to chronicle the change and

contemplate the reasoning behind

it.

Today, it is no longer common

practice for merely the delinquents

of juvenile society to engage in a

bit of community service. Three

main reasons are behind

introducing volunteering to the

avenue of the “good kids.”

First, some schools now require

community service to graduate or

as a stipulation to receive a

scholarship.

The article references several

specific schools in the Florida public

school system that has such

requirements, which are most

commonly seen amongst the

International Baccalaureate and

National Honor Students

stipulations.

Often, for both of these prestigious

enrollments, regular volunteering is

required to hold membership.

Second, some students find

community service gives them an

edge amongst the steep

competitive college market.

College admissions officers have

begun acknowledging that a

willingness to volunteer one’s time

and effort shows an altruistic nature

that appeals to the boards that

decide a student’s collegiate

education future.

Finally, the “good kids” are far more

likely to simply enjoy helping those

in need. Tight communities, such

as churches, often provide students

with regular opportunities to meet

people who have not been nearly

as lucky as they have been.

If church doesn’t present a viable

option, school counselors often

advise students to stick to their

hobbies when choosing where to

give time; volunteering will be far

more enjoyable when it is a task the

student genuinely enjoys or feels

passionate about.

Proactively, branching out in

volunteering can allow students to

test drive a chosen career path

before they are too heavily

invested.