Community service workers provide help and support for seniors, children, families, people with mental illness, Aboriginals and refugees. They may work in hospitals, shelters and community centres.
They also often have to work with a variety of different people and break down stereotypes. This can be a great opportunity to develop empathy.
1. Helping Others
The main reason people participate in community service is to help improve the lives of those around them. They often do this work near their homes, so they can see the direct impact that their efforts have. This personal connection helps people feel like they are making a difference, and it also broadens their perspectives by giving them the opportunity to interact with different types of people.
Some of these people may have been living in poverty, dealing with illness, suffering from loss or other difficulties that are difficult to overcome. Many community services workers help them to cope and move forward with their lives. Their work includes interviewing residents, performing neighborhood assessments and creating strategies for improving living conditions. They can also provide counseling for those who need it.
2. Making New Friends
Community service is distinct from volunteer work in that it can be compulsory and not based on a voluntary basis. It may be mandated by a court as an alternative to jail time, a requirement for school or class, or a prerequisite to obtaining certain benefits. As such, it can provide an opportunity to meet people who may have a common interest or background. This can lead to new friendships and connections that can last a lifetime.
3. Gaining Experience
Often, community service is offered by schools, churches, clubs and other groups in the area. This gives students a chance to gain experience in an environment that they may like or even consider working for in the future. For instance, they might work at a hospital or animal shelter if they are thinking about becoming doctors or nurses, or they might volunteer at a museum if they enjoy history.
This enables them to explore new opportunities and potentially find something that they enjoy more than anything else. This also allows them to see how they can impact the world around them in a positive way, and this can teach them valuable life lessons. Often, they find that this balance of learning and serving helps them to achieve a greater sense of fulfillment and purpose in their lives.
4. Enhancing Your Resume
While some people might think that unpaid work does not belong on a resume, it really depends on the cause and the skills that you have developed. For example, if you have experience helping to re-integrate families separated by war, or teaching CPR, you should consider including that on your resume.
Performing community service also helps you become closer to the community you live in. You will see how the people who live there struggle. This makes you more aware of their problems and how you can help improve their lives.
Volunteering can also be a great way to learn about different careers and even try out one to see whether it is what you want to do in the future. You might find that you love it and are more inclined to pursue it as a career.
5. Developing Relationships
People involved in community service often form relationships with people who live and work in the area where they are working. This creates a mutually beneficial relationship for everyone involved.
For example, in some low-income communities where violence is a problem, a community service program might be established to provide after-school programs to keep youths from journeying down more destructive paths. This program can make the entire community safer, which ultimately leads to a lower crime rate.
Community service can also help break down stereotypes. This is because when people interact with others from different backgrounds they begin to realize that not all people fit into preconceived ideas about them. This helps them become more open-minded and better citizens. It can also lead to more diversity in the workplace.