Community Service for Students - Essay Example

This means that these services are meant for students who want to contribute to the betterment of the society. Community services can take a number of dimensions from school-directed service learning to individual assistive interactions with one’s society or large scale learning volunteering initiatives (Ferrari & Chapman, 1999). This paper, therefore, provides an argument that all students should participate in community services as it provides a platform upon which they develop new skills, experiences and ideologies.

Community service can take numerous forms that include aiding in a nursing home, serving food at orphanages, teaching special-need children, cleaning parks, streams, and fields, volunteering at the local fire station, providing food for needy families, clerical duty for the red-cross organization, and volunteering to work for the Boy- or girl-scout (Reeb, 2006). Participation in community work can either be done individually or in groups. Examples of these organizations include community service groups (involved in serving community members), organizations of students governments (serving students), and organizations that protect and serve the environment (Reeb, 2006).

All these organizations are aimed at helping students acquire social skills, and organizational and leadership skills. Many students from high school level and above are required to undertake a certain number of community services as a requirement for graduation. The number of hours and type of community service accomplished by high school students usually make them highly recruited by universities and colleges (Rhoads, 1997). Unlike high school students, college students usually spend most of their free time participating in community services, and develop volunteer experiences to include in their resumes.

Most university and college students are involved in community services, where they work as mentors and tutors to other students from local schools within that community. This helps students develop both academic and social skills, and influence children’s lives positively (Poplau, 2004). In most curriculums, community service is thematically required to maintain a student’s active membership in the community. Students’ participation in a wider number of community services under sufficient supervision, often help them develop appropriate skills required for developmental activities (Ferrari & Chapman, 1999).

Tutors and supervisors should always ensure that the type of community services chosen by students is not harmful. Students should appropriately be supervised within their scopes of abilities, and giving them room to exercise and expand their skills and knowledge. They should also be allowed to perform some vital roles in the community, by allowing them interact physically with some chosen members from that community. In every society, there are several voluntary services that are available for a wide range of ages and capabilities (Dunlap, 2000).

Students also have limitless benefits to participating in community service projects. Although these are non-loan rewarding activities, the benefits they have for students are things that money cannot buy. The following are some of the benefits that make community services valuable for students; Participation in community serv