NOVEMBER | 7th | 2016
The definition of volunteerism is, “the use or involvement of volunteer labor, especially in community services.” Throughout this first semester in college being a part of SERVE and volunteering with multiple service organizations I have composed my own definition of ‘volunteerism’. I define volunteerism as “seeing a need that inspires you to help, fix, or solve an issue within that need.” Before entering into college and studying the intricacies and multiple levels to service, I had never truly understood negative aspects of service. However, I was never blind to the idea. I had definitely been on service trips or been a part of an organization that I felt wasn’t as efficient as it could be or hadn’t been serving others for the right reasons. Although, after further studying service in college, it is unsettling to see how many negative effects service can have. Growing up in a “service-oriented” family, having many positive experiences through service projects, it is difficult for me to focus on the negative effects of service. Especially in today’s society, serving others has become a common interest to many, where many see solely the positive impacts. Negative impacts of service will be elaborated throughout the essay, however, I continue to feel as if the positive impacts of service greatly outweigh the bad.
There are criticisms within the intent behind the person volunteering and the impact volunteering can have on a community or group. One of the first criticisms I see within the intent of someone volunteering is that volunteerism is where people see the act of volunteering as merely a “resume builder”. Recently applying to college, I heard many of my peers in search of volunteer opportunities in order to boost their own resumes to “look better” for colleges. Surprisingly enough, today, colleges spend less time looking at one’s community service because it has become such the “norm”. Rather, “...they do try to discern a candidate's level of commitment. For instance, a student who has worked at the same literacy center several days a week for three years will garner more nods of approval than one who has spent an hour a week for just a month…” (Admissions). However, many high school students are continually being encouraged to sign up for sporadic volunteer opportunities by way of teachers and faculty. It is difficult in high school whenever long term service projects are not as accessible. Especially being a part of clubs that only offer random day-long trips. The main criticism of volunteering for simply a “resume builder” is causing half-committed individuals who never fully emerge themselves in one focal volunteer opportunity.
Another fault one can have when volunteering is that the volunteer is focused on boosting their own self-worth. In today’s society, many have become hedonists, searching for ultimate pleasures in life and finding self-gratification. Many non-profit/volunteer run organizations are finding a decrease in volunteers for selfish reasons. Some of these reasons include, “lack of communication, especially appreciation…,No flexibility in opportunities…, and Asking too much or too little of a volunteer…” (Parker). If you’re searching for praise because of the work you are executing to, supposedly, “help” a community, you are not volunteering for the right reasons. As a volunteer, you are giving your own time to help those less fortunate as yourself. Volunteerism lost its sense of selflessness when volunteers began demanding praise and specific hours for their work. Many see volunteerism as a box that needs to be checked off in the big scheme of life. With the volunteer box checked off and completed, people believe they are automatically considered a “good” person. Without thinking about how their work might affect the community or group they’re working with, many rush to have their box “checked” off so that they can later brag about the fact that it is. Many have forgotten the main reason of volunteering: serving others. However, playing devil’s advocate on the issue of the “check box method” is that can someone be truly selfless when volunteering. We all often quote the words “It’s better to give than to receive”. Meaning, we feel better about ourselves when we give to others. Without realizing it, we often think of ourselves and how service makes us feel. I know I am guilty of this after completing a service project by posting things on social media to show how “good of a person” I am, without thinking. I think it is nearly impossible to reach 100% selflessness. However, it should be something we strive for in everything we do, volunteering or not.
Besides the people who go into volunteer work with the wrong attitude, the impact of some volunteer work that you do can have a negative effect on the community or group you work with. One way this can occur is not being properly educated/prepared for the situation you are helping with. Whether this be helping a needy community with a food kitchen or cleaning up after a natural disaster, if you’re not equipped with the correct tools and supplies, you can end up causing more damage to the situation than before you came. Suppose you join a group that heads to the coast of North Carolina to help with disaster relief from Hurricane Matthew. The group is so anxious to leave that they forget to bring any tools with them. After they arrive, they realize that they are only able to go around to all of the citizens that were affected by the hurricane and tell them how sorry they were for them. The people affected by the disaster were not only disheartened that no work was done to repair their homes but were frustrated with the fact that the volunteers only expressed how “sorry” they were for them. Through this act of volunteerism (or lack thereof) the group that thought they were making a change, in fact caused the homeowners poor situation to prolong. Preparation before heading on a volunteer trip is key to making any impact on the community you plan to visit. However, alternate plans can always arise from one’s misfortune, leading to a new, helpful volunteer project.
Another negative aspect of volunteerism, comes from the term “voluntourism”. Voluntourism is defined as “a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity”. Typically, voluntourism attracts young adults who are eager to travel and help the world. The questions one needs to ask him or herself before embarking on a voluntourism trip is, “Are the volunteer opportunities we are helping with really benefitting the community?”, “Is there an application process or qualifications one has to meet before attending the trip?”, and “What’s the ratio of sightseeing to service?” (By Submitting). I see voluntourism as a neat concept, but are we really focused on service when the name itself has ‘tour’ within it? I see vacation and service as two completely separate ideas, and it is difficult for me to find a way to mesh them together without the vacation aspect blurring into the service concept.
Before entering into college, and learning substantial information about service, criticism within service wasn’t something I expressed often or ever. I have found it’s helpful to find criticisms within volunteerism to better my next volunteer project. It is also helpful to reflect on past service trips within a group of diverse people, to express criticisms and praises of the work we completed. Through criticism you are capable of learning through your mistakes to better your experiences next time.
Work Cited
By Submitting This Form, You Accept the Mollom Privacy Policy. "Voluntourism - Pros, Cons, and Possibilities." Energize: Volunteer Management Resources for Directors of Volunteers. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
"How Do Admission Committees Evaluate Community Service? - Ask The Dean." Ask The Dean. N.p., 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
Parker, Daineal. "Volunteer Management: You're Doing It Wrong." Realized Worth. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.
The definition of volunteerism is, “the use or involvement of volunteer labor, especially in community services.” Throughout this first semester in college being a part of SERVE and volunteering with multiple service organizations I have composed my own definition of ‘volunteerism’. I define volunteerism as “seeing a need that inspires you to help, fix, or solve an issue within that need.” Before entering into college and studying the intricacies and multiple levels to service, I had never truly understood negative aspects of service. However, I was never blind to the idea. I had definitely been on service trips or been a part of an organization that I felt wasn’t as efficient as it could be or hadn’t been serving others for the right reasons. Although, after further studying service in college, it is unsettling to see how many negative effects service can have. Growing up in a “service-oriented” family, having many positive experiences through service projects, it is difficult for me to focus on the negative effects of service. Especially in today’s society, serving others has become a common interest to many, where many see solely the positive impacts. Negative impacts of service will be elaborated throughout the essay, however, I continue to feel as if the positive impacts of service greatly outweigh the bad.
There are criticisms within the intent behind the person volunteering and the impact volunteering can have on a community or group. One of the first criticisms I see within the intent of someone volunteering is that volunteerism is where people see the act of volunteering as merely a “resume builder”. Recently applying to college, I heard many of my peers in search of volunteer opportunities in order to boost their own resumes to “look better” for colleges. Surprisingly enough, today, colleges spend less time looking at one’s community service because it has become such the “norm”. Rather, “...they do try to discern a candidate's level of commitment. For instance, a student who has worked at the same literacy center several days a week for three years will garner more nods of approval than one who has spent an hour a week for just a month…” (Admissions). However, many high school students are continually being encouraged to sign up for sporadic volunteer opportunities by way of teachers and faculty. It is difficult in high school whenever long term service projects are not as accessible. Especially being a part of clubs that only offer random day-long trips. The main criticism of volunteering for simply a “resume builder” is causing half-committed individuals who never fully emerge themselves in one focal volunteer opportunity.
Another fault one can have when volunteering is that the volunteer is focused on boosting their own self-worth. In today’s society, many have become hedonists, searching for ultimate pleasures in life and finding self-gratification. Many non-profit/volunteer run organizations are finding a decrease in volunteers for selfish reasons. Some of these reasons include, “lack of communication, especially appreciation…,No flexibility in opportunities…, and Asking too much or too little of a volunteer…” (Parker). If you’re searching for praise because of the work you are executing to, supposedly, “help” a community, you are not volunteering for the right reasons. As a volunteer, you are giving your own time to help those less fortunate as yourself. Volunteerism lost its sense of selflessness when volunteers began demanding praise and specific hours for their work. Many see volunteerism as a box that needs to be checked off in the big scheme of life. With the volunteer box checked off and completed, people believe they are automatically considered a “good” person. Without thinking about how their work might affect the community or group they’re working with, many rush to have their box “checked” off so that they can later brag about the fact that it is. Many have forgotten the main reason of volunteering: serving others. However, playing devil’s advocate on the issue of the “check box method” is that can someone be truly selfless when volunteering. We all often quote the words “It’s better to give than to receive”. Meaning, we feel better about ourselves when we give to others. Without realizing it, we often think of ourselves and how service makes us feel. I know I am guilty of this after completing a service project by posting things on social media to show how “good of a person” I am, without thinking. I think it is nearly impossible to reach 100% selflessness. However, it should be something we strive for in everything we do, volunteering or not.
Besides the people who go into volunteer work with the wrong attitude, the impact of some volunteer work that you do can have a negative effect on the community or group you work with. One way this can occur is not being properly educated/prepared for the situation you are helping with. Whether this be helping a needy community with a food kitchen or cleaning up after a natural disaster, if you’re not equipped with the correct tools and supplies, you can end up causing more damage to the situation than before you came. Suppose you join a group that heads to the coast of North Carolina to help with disaster relief from Hurricane Matthew. The group is so anxious to leave that they forget to bring any tools with them. After they arrive, they realize that they are only able to go around to all of the citizens that were affected by the hurricane and tell them how sorry they were for them. The people affected by the disaster were not only disheartened that no work was done to repair their homes but were frustrated with the fact that the volunteers only expressed how “sorry” they were for them. Through this act of volunteerism (or lack thereof) the group that thought they were making a change, in fact caused the homeowners poor situation to prolong. Preparation before heading on a volunteer trip is key to making any impact on the community you plan to visit. However, alternate plans can always arise from one’s misfortune, leading to a new, helpful volunteer project.
Another negative aspect of volunteerism, comes from the term “voluntourism”. Voluntourism is defined as “a form of tourism in which travelers participate in voluntary work, typically for a charity”. Typically, voluntourism attracts young adults who are eager to travel and help the world. The questions one needs to ask him or herself before embarking on a voluntourism trip is, “Are the volunteer opportunities we are helping with really benefitting the community?”, “Is there an application process or qualifications one has to meet before attending the trip?”, and “What’s the ratio of sightseeing to service?” (By Submitting). I see voluntourism as a neat concept, but are we really focused on service when the name itself has ‘tour’ within it? I see vacation and service as two completely separate ideas, and it is difficult for me to find a way to mesh them together without the vacation aspect blurring into the service concept.
Before entering into college, and learning substantial information about service, criticism within service wasn’t something I expressed often or ever. I have found it’s helpful to find criticisms within volunteerism to better my next volunteer project. It is also helpful to reflect on past service trips within a group of diverse people, to express criticisms and praises of the work we completed. Through criticism you are capable of learning through your mistakes to better your experiences next time.
Work Cited
By Submitting This Form, You Accept the Mollom Privacy Policy. "Voluntourism - Pros, Cons, and Possibilities." Energize: Volunteer Management Resources for Directors of Volunteers. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
"How Do Admission Committees Evaluate Community Service? - Ask The Dean." Ask The Dean. N.p., 26 Aug. 2014. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.
Parker, Daineal. "Volunteer Management: You're Doing It Wrong." Realized Worth. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.