“Community Service: What Does it Mean and why Does it Matter?”
Mother Teresa said : “Give your hands to serve and your hearts to love.”
In modern society, community service is a worthy topic to talk about. The majority of young people don’t see the value and importance of serving the world. But let me tell you my story and personal point of view on this issue.
One of the most important problems in Ukraine about volunteering is the nation’s stereotype brought up from the past Soviet times. The main question people ask me is: “Why are you working for free?! You could find a job and get money for the same work you are doing.” But it is different than being just a worker. It is your idea, your choice and your determination to volunteer. Ukrainians are still learning that any community service is for the social change, a change that will touch firstly themselves and other people’s hearts.
As Maya Angelov said : “When you volunteer, you are not paid in money or recognition, you are paid in love. People may forget what you did, people may forget what you said but they will never forget how it made them feel.”
I personally believe that we need to break this stereotype in our country. It is important for Ukrainians to understand that the sense of volunteering is not about being paid. It’s about changing your home communities, other people and mostly yourself. I see how much it does matter in a modern society. It is a global change, like a global transformation. It makes you think about other perspectives of this life and other people who live with us on this planet.
Volunteering has been shown to have many positive effects. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 27 percent of teens from 16 to 19 years old volunteered at least once in community service activities last year. We know that volunteering benefits people we are helping. But did you know that people who volunteer, even just a small amount of their time, can benefit too? A study conducted by Jane Piliavin, a sociologist at the University of Wisconsin, found that young people that volunteer see a positive effect on their grades, work, self-esteem, and a boost in overall happiness. And, according to the American Psychological Association, people who volunteer may actually live longer.
In addition to the positive effects community service also gives you exalted feelings that you cannot describe in simple words. Sometimes a smile of a child can be uplifting and be a worthy substitution of anything else. I have had an opportunity to personally experience this during my stay as an exchange student in the USA and also back home in Ukraine. One of my main volunteer jobs was being a teacher’s aide at an elementary school working with the afterschool program for the 5th grade students. We did homework, and I helped as much as I could with different classes, watched their safety during play outside. What mattered for me then was just a simple look in their eyes asking for help or looking for support that motivated me to keep volunteering until my return back home. My other volunteer opportunities have been with different cities’ parades and celebrations, helping with the children’s program at a church, and volunteering at an animal rescue facility. Most recently I have become a member of the English Writing Centre team volunteering as a tutor at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Each one of these volunteer opportunities had a different impact on me and even now are still making me a better person, changing my views and beliefs on life.
Community service has so many undeniable benefits for the society. I hope that my nation can forget remnants of the past and change the mentality that is holding us back. I am trying to find opportunities for the youth to take part in volunteer activities and encouraging my friends, relatives and groupmates/classmates to get involved in the life of the society and their communities. At last, please remember, that it is not about forcing someone, it’s all about your own willingness to help.
One in four people in the world volunteer.
Why shouldn’t it be you?…
American musician Jeff Warner said these amazing words that I would like to leave you with … “We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are always there, then in time of need, someone will be there for you.”
