By: Leah O’Meara
Community service is something teenagers should participate in at least a few times a year, but unfortunately, many no longer do. It is a really important part of society, and it contributes a lot to people in need. Most high schools used to require students to have a certain amount of community service hours in order for them to graduate, and although schools offer more community service opportunities now than in the past, less schools require it to graduate. Many students do it because it looks good on their resumes, but they often learn to love it.
Community service should be required for every high school student. Although it affects the people in need, it also affects the people who participate in community service. It can help them get jobs and it looks good for college applications. Aside from this, it helps them meet new people and form connections, and it causes people to look at things from a different perspective. It can really help high school students to mature and gain exposure to different things. Natalia Gibek (‘27), who volunteers at a nursing home, says “it’s good for the people in the nursing home because they don’t see kids our age very often, and it benefits me because I want to be a nurse, so it gives me more experience with older people.” Volunteering is a good way to find out what career path you may be interested in, and to gain experience before getting a job. Even though they might really enjoy it, most students don’t do it unless their schools require it. Most students already have a lot on their plates, so having to do community service hours on top of that may seem daunting, but even if they had to do just a few hours a year, it could really affect them. Katie Puk (‘27), who also volunteers at a senior home, said, “I have gotten to know so many people, there’s so many wonderful people that work there, and I love being around them; whenever I’m there it’s a really positive experience.” It teaches students better interpersonal skills, patience, and communication skills. They learn how to work with different kinds of people and are exposed to a variety of diverse types of people, which helps them gain a much more open-minded perspective when it comes to people’s situations that may be dissimilar from theirs. If more schools require community service, more students would have to participate, and they might realize they really enjoy it, and they would be helping people that really need it.