What is Community Service?

Modern culture and society is presented every day with advancements in medicine, technology, entertainment, and daily life. While these things have a tendency to speed the development of civilization and make the business of living a much more tolerable activity, there will always be those who are left out in the cold, unable to access these products of toil and research.

Each civilization in history has displayed some record of the less fortunate. Every population has a small percentage of destitute individuals that rely on the altruism and works of those above them to survive. In addition, there are sometimes partitions of society which rely upon the system of government to upkeep, especially public works and run-down places of residence. This is where <b>community service</b> comes in, acting as a buffer between poverty and destruction.

Community service, as commonly defined, is behavior in service to a particular cause or group of people, and this service is donated. Common types of community service include the running of youth organizations, maintenance of public areas, participation in homeless shelters and programs, and volunteering at public institutions like libraries. The most common kinds of organizations in which one might volunteer for are government-funded or religiously affiliated groups.

Payment is generally not given to participants in community service, as the time and labor is considered donated. However, not every person involved in this kind of service is a volunteer. There are many situations in which a person will be compelled by a judge, court, school, or government to perform community service. Criminals of petty crimes often are ordered to perform community service of a specific kind for a particular number of hours.

Many schools have classes in which a student must perform community service in order to receive a passing grade. This is true of many religious schools, and the purpose is to foster a sense of solidarity and compassion for one’s fellow person. Many public schools in Seattle, WA, for example, require 100 hours of community service to graduate.

Finally, there is community service which is compelled simply through the status of being a citizen of a particular country. Some European nations, like Germany, compel its citizens to perform paid community service in order to facilitate the continual growth and flourishing of its nation.

Community service is a vital part of any successful culture, and through it, poverty and misfortune can be decimated. Organizations like Campfire USA or Big Brothers Big Sisters help to keep the United States’ youth out of trouble and crime. AmeriCorps helps to maintain public land and property. Peace Corps alleviates issues abroad. Community service and public works will always help to increase diplomacy, both within its borders and in foreign lands.