Community Service Reflection

Introduction

Community service today has grown in popularity as a field of practice for today’s society. This form of public service is voluntary and directed towards helping a population or residents of a specific area. Service can take forms such as school-based projects, local community projects, or large-scale international service programs. Students are primarily motivated by the selfless practice of committing one’s time, money, or actions in taking part in a community service project that would help the greater good, individual self, and one’s character.

Community service provides an opportunity for participants to practice sharing their skills and knowledge in the form of volunteerism or service to their respective communities locally or globally. Civic responsibility and community engagement are seen to be more essential than they were in the past, and progressive activism towards the greater good is evident in today’s world.

Varying levels of community service may be conducted by individuals or as part of many different organizations. However, their primary aim is to bring about social change and personal and community welfare without any forms of political or religious attachments. There are numerous ongoing projects that have used the concept of community service within their organization; some successful ones include various programs. The impacts of each of the programs focus on the value of the programs to the individuals/participants, the value of the program to the community, the value of the program in a broader community sense, and social policy/reform, as well as the possible benefits of these organizations partnering in future programs. It is also important to consider the benefits, not only to the individual or community but also potential partnerships that may be fruitful in a social sense due to the obvious dynamics of the two programs.

Benefits of Community Service

Not only is the person dedicating their time to a good cause, but volunteers contribute to many important societal causes, possibly creating less work for struggling local governments and non-profits. Community service also plays a part in being a peacemaker; many racial and social disparities become easier to overcome with communication and understanding. Bringing people from all walks of life and backgrounds to work together benefits everyone who lives in that community, including the underserved and the underprivileged. One perpetrator may bring about opportunities for many people to be united, working toward a new communal change for the better. Show care for one's neighbors in need by helping to develop a garden. A major part of community service is social networking, and bringing together people from all backgrounds results in an interdependent need for social, professional, and emotional care.

The very act of providing care to your community stems from one feeling a certain sense of accomplishment from improving the lives of those in your community. Emotional skills and feelings resulting from volunteering are accompanied by the satisfaction that comes from the expressions they receive from the people they help. Volunteering can help restore or build emotional health, faith, and overall well-being of a volunteer. Since volunteering for a significant amount of time results in overall improved emotional health, many can assume that volunteers who put in many hours of work experience even further improvement in happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment in life. Volunteering also opens many doors for people to get more prospects in life. Almost every company that employs people is interested in workers who can collaborate effectively with large populations. Many children come to college from all around the world for missions, and it is well known that college students have a much greater opportunity for graduating into professional employment, which is very beneficial in the research involved in their missionary work over the years.

Personal Growth and Development

So what is the impact of an individual’s personal growth and development? For many, the journey of stepping outside their comfort zone, learning new skills, and consequently feeling the euphoria of conquering the unknown is an approach to community service that also creates life-changing experiences that they reflect on actively. The internal dialogue provided by the reflection helps the learner appreciate their values and passions, possibly suggesting a new career pathway. Valuing individual growth through community development and engagement experiences yields a more well-rounded member of society for our future. The empathetic understanding increases for citizens moving to give back to diverse communities, suggesting an increased cultural competence and creating a higher demand and inclination for international experience within individuals.

In the same breath, as an international or even local participant, our world is constantly changing, and the technology modularizing local service components and making them global shows a need for individual resilience and adaptability. In so doing, individuals will upskill themselves and begin to break open the barriers of their long-term career plans. Yet, look around us at the impact we have. Not only is it on each other, but also with other members of the community with whom we are interacting. Living with complete strangers and comforting them in their discomfort can be a reality check on just how much we can let our empathy flow. Participants in service mentioned respect for others and understanding diversity as learning objectives and were amazed that they were now viewing the world with such clarity and excitement. Engaging in the ability to give back shows a sense of responsibility and commitment that is palpable between current and past participants. Many in the life of service suggest that it is not just possible, but important for others to be exposed to these same possibilities. The potential to share, create a collective experience, and deliver a learning outcome for this organization reflects a population of individuals who have invested in their own learning and growth.

Challenges and Solutions

In any given community service project, there are several challenges that could hinder its progress or effectiveness. One main issue that comes with community service is the lack of resources for the large demand. This results in an inability to provide enough services to meet the entire problem. Volunteer burnout is another prevalent issue. At one point, volunteers, as well as leaders in organizations, can hit a brick wall. It is important for society to constantly find solutions on how to re-motivate these volunteers to complete service. Other problems include having no clear outcome-based results, failure to articulate mission and goals, maintaining momentum, lack of expertise, inadequate planning, recruiting and retaining members, sustaining efforts, and being politically viable. Clearly, there are numerous barriers to overcome when attempting to implement a new community service.

Mobilizing volunteers is critical in community service outcomes. Most organizations' initiatives demand repetitive actions on the part of the mobilized. Thus, when volunteers have an open and honest dialogue, the impact on the organization is likely to be significant. It is important for organizations to make volunteering a fun and rewarding experience. In order to emphasize the reward, organizations must clearly communicate the direct result of the volunteer performance. Additionally, as volunteers become familiar with the culture and vision of the organization, it becomes easier to take ownership of the program and be integral in making it successful. The impact of this engagement can be measured by a volunteer’s identification with that organization. Another common problem faced in volunteerism is the retention of volunteers. Maintaining motivation requires ongoing contact with volunteers and regular communication. This can be accomplished by integrating regular feedback. In order to build a successful endeavor, we must define the sought-after outcome. A common mistake that many organizations make is to start things too quickly without training. The outcome of the programs must be rooted in the overall strategy and configured during the course of planning. With that as a base, it becomes easier to coordinate all programs and contribute to the broader goal. The work cannot be seen as just a project but must have clear value. Goals are only a vision without being strategically focused.

Conclusion

For years, the leadership and social change fields have been doing indirect, parallel work with the community service movement. Research in non-profit management, service learning, social entrepreneurship, human and community development, and volunteerism has increasingly brought social change to the surface of our questions, and more accurately reflects the work being done in the non-profit, private, and public sectors. As we look forward, what becomes clear is that the need for community service has never been greater. Ongoing tension and conflict in the world, the perilous state of the environment, epic global injustice and inequity, unprecedented refugee status, war, genocide, and hunger, personal, communal, and societal physical and emotional violence, hatred, selfishness, and greed give clear indication of the pervasive need for inspired community engagement, member and leader education, informed action, compassionate work, and personal reflection-refraction-transformation. Noteworthy trends suggest continued growth of community service. Service sites are becoming more interested in long-term relationships with organizations, sustainability, groups with racial and cultural differences, and increasingly, with the broader goals and connections they share with the services they provide. Many corporations have recognized the importance of community service.

Recently, as part of their marketing strategy, corporations have seen the window of opportunity opened by corporate involvement in service. That is, when people, especially young people, view corporate responsibility as very important and important, more than three times as many are more likely to do business with such a corporation vs. less likely. Over the past twenty years, service organizations in the United States have come to embrace a variety of emerging trends. Scope has expanded, including projects in a growing number of diverse locations. Service organizations have expanded to further impact potential volunteers outside the sphere of direct service. These initiatives, including summer programming and online opportunities, infuse members with energy and commitment that has lasting effects, including transformed lives, advanced academic learning and skill development, and increased idealism that extends back to campus, home, and future jobs.

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