Community service
Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation.[1] It can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis and may be compulsory. While individual benefits may be realized, they may be performed for a variety of reasons, including citizenship requirements, alternatives to criminal justice sanctions, school or class requirements, and requisites to obtain certain benefits.
For the album by The Crystal Method, see Community Service (album).
(Community) service is a non-paying job performed by one person or a group of people for the benefit of their community or its institutions. Community service is distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed on a voluntary basis and may be performed for a variety of reasons, including:
Community service and volunteerism are supported and encouraged across the world, influenced by a mix of personal, societal, and cultural factors. Research shows that individual traits like personality and religiosity, combined with organizational settings, play a significant role in fostering long-term volunteerism.[4] Different methods to encourage volunteering can result in volunteers motivated by their own interests or a desire to help others, suggesting the importance of promoting community engagement and altruism for sustained involvement.[5] A study spanning 21 countries linked economic development, education, cultural values, and political systems to higher rates of formal volunteering, indicating a global perspective on volunteer engagement.[6] Student volunteering, particularly in Western English-speaking countries, is driven by altruistic and career-oriented motivations, highlighting a strong culture of volunteerism among young people.[7] Moreover, the motivation to volunteer varies with cultural values across different regions, and is shaped by societal expectations and cultural norms.[8]
Personal benefits of serving[edit]
Community service also allows those participating to reflect on the difference they are making in society. Some participants of a community service project may find themselves gaining a greater understanding of their roles in the community, as well as the impact of their contributions towards those in need of service. Because community service outlets vary, those who serve are exposed to many different kinds of people, environments, and situations.[39]
A benefit of participating in community service is to gain greater experience and benefits to help individuals gain advantages for their careers. According to "The Give and Take of Volunteering: Motives, Benefits, and Personal Connections among Irish Volunteers", " Career benefits took different forms depending on the person's career stage and on the type of work involved"(McKeena). At the beginning of a profession, volunteering could be beneficial, giving people at a more practical level of hands-on experience in health and social care, while persons at a more advanced level of their careers achieved career-related benefits from high-level relationships for job-related reasons (Mckenna).[40]
With each new community service project, some participants may gain insightful experience in a variety of areas. Participants may also internalize the information that they found personally insightful for future use. While simply performing community service is valuable to the recipients, those serving often find it beneficial to pause and reflect on how they are changing society for the better. Schools often take students on community service projects so they can learn how their individual actions affect the well-being of the public. Participants may find that serving the public fosters a more solidified view of self and purpose.[41]
Those involved in community service learning may also find that after serving the community for an extended period of time, they have an advantage in real-world experience. Eventually, the skills and knowledge obtained while working with the community may be applied in future areas of work.[41] Community service may also increase a participant's social connectivity. Because most community service opportunities allow others to interact and work with other individuals, this service may help volunteers network and connect with others toward a common goal.[42]
People gain the most from their community service projects when they volunteer their time to help people that they have never interacted with before. This direct contact allows people to see life from a different perspective and reevaluate their opinions of others. Many young people who get involved in community service come out with a more well-rounded worldview.
Another benefit in participating in community service is a greater understanding and appreciation for diversity. Appreciating other cultures and breaking down stereotypes is important to becoming a responsible citizen and better person. By participating in a community service project where interaction is required, personal relationships can begin to grow. These personal relationships help people have informal and consistent interactions that through time, often break down negative stereotypes.
These relationships can also facilitate more opinions and viewpoints surrounding various topics that help participants to grow in diversity.[43] Stereotypes can be defined as, "believing unfairly that all people or things with a specific characteristic are the same."[44] Stereotypes often reveal themselves in quick judgments based solely off of visible characteristics. These judgments move into a biased opinion when you believe that these judgments are always true.[45] These stereotypes can be harmful to both personal relationships and relationships within the workplace. Community service helps people to realize that everyone does not fall into these preconceived ideas.
Along with breaking down stereotypes, community service work can assist people in realizing that those they are helping and working with are no different from themselves.[46] This realization can lead to empathizing with others. Learning to understand the needs and motivations of others, especially those who live different lives from our own, is an important part of living a productive life. This leads to a view of humanity that can help a person stay free of biased opinions of others and can lead to a more diverse and ultimately more productive and thought-provoking life.[47]
Also, volunteer work that's relevant to your job position can be added as work experience in your resume. According to U.S. News & World Report, "If your volunteer work is relevant to the job position, you may want to include it under the professional or work experience sections on your resume."[48] This depends on how long you've worked as a volunteer. If you don't have more than 2 years of experience, it's not worthwhile to list your community service as work experience.[48]
Choosing the right strategy[edit]
Civilians have a desire and aptitude to organize themselves apart from the government to address the needs in their communities. However, making sure an effort has a positive effect on society requires clear analysis and a strategy. The analysis identifies the root causes of problems that project implementation must address. Individuals, like neighborhoods, enjoy permanent change only if it is an inner one—and the greatest form of community service is encouraging that inner change.
Abraham Kuyper advocates sphere sovereignty, which honors the independence and autonomy of the "intermediate bodies" in society, such as schools, press, business, and the arts. He champions the right of every community to operate its own organizations and manage its own groups, with the foundational belief that parents know what their child really needs, and that local people are more capable of helping fellow locals. Those who agree with his views perceive community service as a tool of empowerment that can help people achieve better employment and lifestyle, avoiding what they see as destructive decision-making for mal-established goals by poorly developed community service efforts.
Amy L. Sherman, in her book Restorers of Hope,[49] suggests that community service planning should be made with the valuable opinion of the local residents, since they have firsthand knowledge of the inside realities of their community's current state. Making them a part of the movement, change or project creates in the members of the community a sense of belonging and hope.
A joint study suggests that a more effective approach to community service focuses on increased participation of local people in decision-making and collaborative partnerships. The goal is "a bottom-up approach in which participants become agents of change and decision making."[50] This is accomplished through several principles: inclusion, equal partnership, transparency, sharing power, sharing responsibility, empowerment, and cooperation. Being cognizant of who is given a voice in defining the need for community service, and the ways in which these issues are approached, is one of the first steps in recognizing spaces in which participation can be increased.