Authentic Humanity in Service Work
Service work, or work completed for others, is a key piece of American economics and broader societal function. Although the American conception of service work is narrow, any work, vocational or volunteer, that is carried out for others is service work. When a recipient is given something, then the effort is considered service. This broad definition results in service work covering a vast array of activities, including some that do not necessarily benefit the individuals meant to receive it. Even when some activities seem entirely altruistic from an overview, the results can be harmful, ultimately setting needy communities back rather than helping them forward. The best service work typically involves a connection with the benefitting communities, and without this understanding, service can even be harmful.
When conducting service for communities, the quality of service is produced by the effort of the workers. Effort in this context refers to both the attitudes taken towards the communities receiving assistance and the knowledge of communal circumstances before rendering service. The two traits that make a worthwhile effort become knowledge and authenticity. Authenticity in this regard refers to the care and human emotion brought to service, which forms genuine connections. While these two parts must come together for the best outcome, positive change can be created without both knowledge and authenticity(Parks 7). In scholastic fields, the knowledge of power dynamics and reflection on systemic issues is stressed as crucial to providing good service, however, I would argue that despite the existence of looming power structures, individual authenticity is the key to positive change.
Authenticity is unique among the traits of good service as it directly appeals to the emotional part of service, reaching a human likeness that allows for a lasting impact. Genuine care for those one aims to help is paramount in reaching shared humanity, as that humanity surpasses all other areas of conflict and difference, shattering social barriers. With authentic connection, community members are more likely to share real problems, and by listening to those stories, authenticity allows service providers to understand the root issues that plague the communities they serve. Authenticity can reveal the entire story, which addresses the issue of power dynamics indirectly. Power dynamics are important to understand, as they place barriers between the served and the provider, however, recognizing dynamics cannot create a connection. Communal connection is only created through genuine interactions during service. Unintentional harm caused by unseen power dynamics and issues may stall genuine connections from being formed, but authenticity will restart the process. If a provider recognizes dynamics but is unwilling to connect emotionally, a greater impact will not be formed. The recognition of power dynamics is paramount when creating initial bonds, as it creates positive impressions, but authenticity alone can open one to others’ experiences. The primary issue is that authenticity is very difficult to produce naturally. Workers must genuinely care for the issue that they are attempting to solve, and as issues become more complex, genuine devotion is harder to produce.
As previously established, authenticity is integral to creating real impact, but as the structure of service becomes more specific, genuine care is more difficult to create. In the level of service that is easiest to access, charity, authenticity is the easiest to find, yet yields the least impactful results. In charity, addressing deeper matters is nearly impossible while helping superficially is significantly easier. The donation of an afternoon or a sum of money may come from a place of care, but the lack of real interaction makes authenticity less helpful. While one may care for the cause, the individual is unable to make significant grander impacts through charity. In 826LA, a Los Angeles education-aid organization, charity is offered through volunteer service in workshops. Each workshop allows individual volunteers to care for groups of students, creating real change in the lives of those selected. However, the grander issues, like poverty and lack of educational resources cannot be combatted. Students might recognize the authentic care behind the actions of volunteers, but the grander issues simply cannot be targeted here. When social work reaches the project level, there are significantly fewer workers, as projects require much more time and effort than charity. The subject matter of projects becomes more administrative, and here, an authentic connection can be lost. This becomes even more apparent with advocacy or “social change,” where the root causes are addressed directly(Writing and Community Engagement). At this level, lobbyists and lawmakers are the most effective at good service, but they lose the connection with the people they represent. At this level, an authentic drive to improve the lives of others is the reason why workers continue, but that care is not felt in the day to day of the people they work for. They are unable to make those connections as one would at more basic levels. Structurally, it is less easy to care for issues when the subject matter becomes detached from individuals. When the object of service becomes boardrooms rather than shelters, the genuine drive is more difficult to muster. In a strange relationship, authenticity is responsible for positive change, but as the aim of that change becomes larger, authenticity wanes, resulting in less positive change.
When authenticity wanes, an emphasis on power dynamics becomes more common, but genuine inspection of individuals in the community becomes far more important. Only through emphasizing the power of individuals can challenge the impact-mitigating nature of service work. In ideal service learning, the two worlds are separate, as the individual is brought directly into the greater world of power dynamics. However, in real service, the individual experience handles an extremely small piece of the greater service narrative(Mitchel and Donahue). No level of service is entirely detached or engrossed in the individual stories of the community, but at every level, the voices of the community can be highlighted to craft significant impacts. The idea of “researching the neighborhood” is extremely important when entering new places, but embracing what real people need at the moment is much more critical. Often the people who need service have entirely different perspectives than the greater community that they belong to. Examples of this can again be seen in organizations like 826LA, where broader problems like the “resegregation of schools” are taught to incoming volunteers, while individual students have no issue. English learners may have stark spreads across poverty levels but many ELs will never mention this when asking for help with schoolwork. In Stephanie Land’s article on being a low-income mother, she explains how the interpretation and attempted analysis of community dynamics entirely missed the real struggles that her family faced, as she stressed much smaller issues than the committee addressed(Land 2018). Individuals are the heart of service work, and emphasis on their struggles is what causes progress, even when minute.
In my personal experience as a service provider and a service recipient, I have witnessed that authenticity acts as the heart of service. Despite not belonging to any larger service organization, I consider myself a rather active force in my community. Over eight years with my Boy Scout troop, I learned to apply myself in several key service positions. If I was feeding the hungry at local events or leading flag ceremonies for veterans, I brought care to every experience. My attitude was how I served each given role, and I made sure that each person I was serving felt my compassion through my actions. My authenticity made a difference, even when I was completely oblivious to the compounding issues and preexisting stigma. My actions were then validated when I was given the Youth of the Year award for my city, despite not serving the city in any critical capacity. My work may have been small in each role, but my compassion was felt collectively over time. My sentiments are echoed by many Title I teachers in the local area as well, as my mother, a Title 1 Teacher has never served in an administrative capacity, but has impacted the lives of dozens of people, turning would-be gangbangers into scholars through her personal touch. The shared humanity that arises from genuine care for individuals breaks through the boundaries to change, allowing for greatness.
Service work is the crux to creating a better society that can accomplish amazing things, like forgetting the prejudice of the past or seeing each person as worthy of love. Although, that can only occur if people present their authentic selves to those that they serve. Historically, civil issues are won because people feel stirred by injustices, see the humanity in others unlike them, and rise to fight for someone else. While looming issues hold people back and the most accessible levels of service are often ineffective, the drive to help others is always necessary to better the world. Service becomes perfect when people pour themselves out and commit to others in contrast to human nature. This can happen in numerous ways, significant or minor, but it always matters. Doing good for other people is how the world becomes better, and that cannot be lost when discussing what makes good service.
