What Community Service has your child done that is actually meaningful?

Parents Forum
81

<p>Before anyone thinks that I do not believe in volunteerism - I do. In fact I never thought of myself as doing community service until someone pointed out to me how many hours I volunteered. I never considered the time spent on school district committees, PTA, local neighborhood groups etc. as CS - it’s just something I do. My issue with a community service requirement is not whether it makes students dislike it or not. I feel that it is ethically wrong for a public school to force volunteerism. A mother with children in a school district considering a CS requirement expressed additional reasons that I agree with:</p>

<p>"Community service once referred to voluntary efforts by individuals to provide free services to others in the community. The issue I’m referring to here is a relatively new and disturbing concept: Mandatory community service. This program requires students to provide uncompensated service to organizations and agencies in order to earn a high school diploma. This kind of program is seriously misguided and inappropriate because it violates our fundamental beliefs about the nature of helping others. Here are six reasons why:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Forcing students to work for free is the wrong way to go about instilling good citizenship skills in young people. When you compel adolescents to do community service, you are not teaching them about citizenship…you are teaching them that, we, as educators, can force you to do what we want. Moral and ethical issues should not be founded on authority. Even such leading proponents of national and community service programs as Amitai Etzioni, a renowned professor of sociology at George Washington University, is adamantly opposed to mandatory community service, stating that it “destroys respect for individual responsibility.” He believes that public schools have moved beyond their mission when they make community service mandatory.</p></li>
<li><p>The decision to serve has always been left to individual conscience and to the moral education of children by parents. It’s the responsibility of each parent, not the school, to teach our children ethics and what he/she owes to the community.</p></li>
<li><p>There are fundamental differences between mandatory community service and any other school required activity or out of school activity, such as homework, take home exams, and so on. A student is not laboring for or providing an uncompensated service to another party while performing a homework assignment or engaging in any other school mandated activity. And, unlike other mandated school activities, mandatory community service is supervised by non-school personnel.</p></li>
<li><p>We know that adolescents have been doing charitable work for generations, and will continue to do so. And when they do voluntary community service, they do so at the service organization of their choosing, no matter how controversial and still protect their rights to keep their charitable activities and associations confidential. Mandatory community service not only takes away their right to choose whether or not to engage in charitable activities, but it removes their right to privacy since students must reveal the organization for which they perform service.</p></li>
<li><p>Individuals who don’t do community service may have good reasons, such as needy students who must earn an income, students who help care for younger siblings and/or grandparents, disabled students, athletic commitments, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>If we can justify requiring mandatory community service to promote citizenship, could we not also require peer tutoring and/or peer counseling to promote altruism…or membership in extracurricular activities to promote a well-rounded education? Were does it stop? The point is that the decision to perform charitable work through service to others must be between an individual and his/her conscience. It must not be imposed by the school system no matter how laudable the purpose.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>In conclusion, mandatory community service may be politically correct, but it is educationally and morally incorrect. This program diminishes the work of the truly generous and by coercing students to do good, it undermines, and in many ways destroys, the spirit of volunteerism. Mandatory community service crosses the line on an issue that is the moral property of individuals and their families. The decision to serve others must come from an individual’s heart and conscience, not an educational edict.</p>

<p>Volunteerism is like patriotism: Impose it and you poison it."</p>

82

<p>I haven’t read most of this thread but I think if the kids find something that means something to them that is most of the work! D2 spent time in hospitals when she was younger and noticed there weren’t many books for kids to read who were outpatients. As she got older and was still receiving care she started collecting “gently used” books and taking them to the hospitals and placing a sign that said patients could take them home if they weren’t finished reading them. It has been a very meaningful project for her.</p>

83

<p>D has had three community service experiences. In her last year of middle school (a private school), she was required to do a certain number of hours and volunteered at a local children’s museum. She gave directions and helped little ones with some of the hands-on activities, but it was largely make-work that provided little more than positive PR for the museum. She was capable of doing a lot more substantive work there, but that was all they offered to kids that age. She also had minimal interest in the museum’s exhibitions. She left after one year. Then three years ago, when she was in a public high school and no longer had a community service obligation, she found her own way into a program for developmentally disabled children. For the last two years, she has worked one-on-one with an autistic boy. I think it’s been of real value to both of them. She’s truly devoted to this child, and I have no doubt that working with the developmentally disabled will be a permanent feature of her life. Now this year she has an in-school service obligation as part of her National Honor Society membership and is assisting an English teacher during what would otherwise be a study hall period. She mostly does photocopying and organizes paperwork; on rare occasions she is allowed to help the students with their writing. Again, its mostly make-work, and it means little to her. (In light of the above postings, it’s interesting that only her voluntary service has been valuable.) If the goal of community service is to instill in our children a lifelong desire and commitment to improve the world, then it’s important to find a program that is truly meaningful to the student and one that involves a genuine contribution. I’m not sure that’s easy to accomplish, given the way the demand for service hours has ballooned.</p>

84

<p>My daughter went on a church service project for a week every year from when she was 14 till when she was 18 to the Appalachians where they repaired housing for needy families. She loved it so much that last summer, when she was 19, she spent the whole summer in the Appalachians working for the organization in charge of the project as one of the Staff members that selects the houses to be repaired and organizes the repairs and the volunteers. It has probably been one of the most meaningful and influential things in her life. She has also got involved with Habitat and will spend her Spring break volunteering with them. </p>

<p>She also did quite a lot of different things with Girl Scouts including her Gold Award project (repairing and repainting a not for profit day care center that was in danger of being closed down because it was in poor condition). All her volunteering was started before she ever thought of it as anything related to school requirements or college applications. When she was 15 she decided out of the blue she wanted to train with the literacy council as a tutor and tutored in reading and math. She really just likes volunteering and is thinking of doing peace corps.</p>

<p>All her activities have been her choice. Would they be as meaningful if she had to do them? Probably not. But I don’t think it hurts anyone to be obliged to do some community service and there are bound to be some that are as inspired by the experiences as my daughter is and some that are not. My son did the same service project as my daughter once and did find it meaningful but never expressed an interest in doing it again.</p>

85

<p>My CS experiences consisted of volunteering every summer, all summer, helping kids as a junior leader at our local parks & recreation. I did it because I loved it & loved being outdoors. My S did a lot of volunteer work to help other people do their Eagle projects, did his own Eagle project (helped retrofit the band room of his middle school), volunteered to help teach computers & science for summer school, and more. D volunteered to help my non-profit at our education day by manning the table & explaining the different medical equipment useful to patients. She also volunteered to help others learn how to steer an outrigger canoe and other activities as requested, including diabetes walks.</p>

<p>She wanted to volunteer at the local humane society but we couldn’t get the schedules & requirements to mesh (& we were concerned about how it would trigger her allergies badly).</p>

86

<p>My high school had mandatory community service, but the big difference was that it was during school hours and considered integral to the curriculum. It was also a private school - their cs program was a big part of the draw of the school. I do think that the cs was extraordinarily useful - I learned a lot about myself and about the world from doing it. It’s become a habit for me, one that sadly I really haven’t instilled in my kids. It’s partly laziness on my part - it’s not easy to find good things to do that work with their schedules.</p>

87

<p>My D is a volunteer referee for the local AYSO region. The high school views it as community service, so I hope colleges will as well. Even if they don’t, it’s something she enjoys, she’s getting lots of exercise doing it and our AYSO region has a hard time getting refs, so the AYSO kids are definitely benefitting. She wants to volunteer with an adaptive sports organization but so far we’ve been unable to find much she can do with them. I think when she’s a bit older this might work out.</p>

88

<p>I disagree with the poster saying that none of it is meaningful. One of my kids has volunteered weekly for the same organization for 6 years. It is at 7am on Saturday mornings and most of the time I go with her.
Which brings me to my point. Around here if the parents are community minded it seems that the kids are. It drives me crazy when kids show up to volunteer with the clock ticking on how many hours they “need.” Ditto kids that show up because they are on probation and I am supposed to babysit them while they avoid work.
Over the years, kids have asked my child when she will be done with the volunteering. Her answer and mine, is that they don’t stop needing help just because she doesn’t “need the hours.”
Give me a break.</p>

89

<p>I’ll admit that I talked my daughter into volunteering as a Humane Society dogwalker specifically to help round out her college resume. She’s a shy kid, socially anxious and not a “joiner,” so this was a way for her to add a nice activity to her college applications without a lot of pressure.</p>

<p>Does that make it less meaningful? I dunno. The dogs get exercise, she has fun, and since I volunteer along with her, I have fun too (kittens & puppies are just about the best source of stress relief on the planet). That’s meaningful enough for me.</p>

90

<p>I have read most of this thread and I apologize if this has been addressed. Two points - for many of the kids the community service hours may start out as a numbers game, when will I complete them. It was that way for my son. But when he found projects he liked (volunteer volleyball coach, Pet Portions for Meals on Wheels and a U.S. service trip through Group Works) he just did it and he probably has no clue how many hours he volunteers and for many of the projects it goes beyond just him to the entire family. Second point - for the school sponsored trips to South America and other foreign locations it is very expensive to “send” your kid to volunteer. I was thrilled when he went through his interviews that the colleges don’t care what your community service is but they want it to speak to you as a person. So your child needs to find something they enjoy not something that will solve world hunger.</p>

91

<p>“Volunteerism is like patriotism: Impose it and you poison it.”"</p>

<p>IMO, that’s a ridiculous belief. We impose lots of things on people including going to school, saying the pledge of allegiance, brushing your teeth, eating vegetables, learning to read, toilet training, manners, etc. Most of the things that we do initially were imposed on us.</p>

92

<p>My son and friends from church youth group (with professional contractors supervising) rehabbed some Elderly Transportable Cottages this past summer.

[United</a> Methodist Relief Center Elderly Transportable Cottages](<a href=“http://www.umrc.org/elderly_transportable.htm]United”>http://www.umrc.org/elderly_transportable.htm)</p>

<p>This was meaningful, valuable work, and physically hard work. The teenagers could see the results of their efforts. Like Habitat for Humanity Work (that 15-year-olds are generally to young for) or repairing homes in Appalachia (which my son had done with the youth group the summer before), this concrete community service was needed and appreciated.</p>

<p>Our high school does not require community service.</p>

93

<p>Is it just me or is this thread a way to brag about what your kids have done in terms of volunteering and community service ?</p>

<p>I don’t see the point of it…yes, all of my kids have done it. Even when they were really young. Was it always their idea ?..certainly not…I took a very active role in facilitating some of the projects and events. I did it so my kids could understand that appreciating what they have isn’t enough. People around them are suffering of all kinds of pains. from lonlieness to being cold and have no warm coat…from having cancer to needing a little tutoring with algebra.</p>

<p>I am not sure if it should be mandatory in schools, but raising awareness, and maybe even being rewarded for participating can be a big motivater.</p>

94

<p>All three of my kids, as well as my H and I, do volunteer work. It shows the kids “the world does not revolve around you and we are very fortunate for our blessings” We have done it as a family and those instances, I have found, have made the most impact. </p>

<p>As we volunteered as a family, the rest seemed to follow. Youngest is a freshman in college and we planned a date to visit him in September during the summer (he knew the exact date of our arrival–it was planned around a football game). The Thursday before we arrived, we called him to confirm. H and I got the remark, “Oh Mom and Dad, I’ll be able to hook up with you two around dinner time. I am volunteering all day.” While we were a little surprised, we were also proud!</p>

95

<p>Florida offers high school grads a state-funded Bright Futures Scholarship at varying levels for residents attending in-state colleges. To qualify for 100% tuition (based on the rate of public universities), in addition to a minimum on grades/test scores, there is a 75 hr. community service requirement. That block of time also counts towards 1/2 high school credit (maximum 1 cs credit).<br>
DD and DS started to fill the requirement - at my urging - the summer before freshman yr. of hs. DS (senior) loved it and has given over 300 hours at the local library, creating programs along the way just because he enjoys it so much. He will be spending a great deal of time there next summer as well, even though it won’t “count” for anything.<br>
DD (sophomore) couldn’t wait to get her 75 hours over with. It was in a professional office and she was given grunt work. I feel badly that she was turned off to service and hope she will give something else a try as high school progresses, now that the requirement is out of the way.</p>

96

<p>Twokidsatvu,</p>

<p>Well said. I totally agree with you on this one. It’s critical for our kids to learn exactly what you have mentioned - that “the world does not revolve around you and we are very fortunate for our blessings” </p>

<p>I think when schools impose certain number of community hours for kids, they do so with the exact same spirit. I also think that schools profoundly believe in the power of extending education outside the boundaries of classroom.</p>

<p>We as parents and teachers should be proud to make every attempt to ensure that we are raising kids that have ‘real connections with the outside world’. Today’s kids are tomorrow’s Einsteins, Salks, Gates, Obamas, and Hillarys. Having this connection to the real world is what will make them understand the needs of all socioeconomic strata and have a complete picture, which ultimately allows them to be better leaders of tomorrow.</p>