Though, the concept of community service is not very new its importance has developed in the past few years. There are thousands of organizations all over the world that engage and hold millions of young people all through the world. People of all age groups, with a maximum number of youth are involved in the process of community service. Community-based organizations include; social service organizations, nonprofit providers and associations that engage both young people as well adults as volunteers; youth development organizations, after-school programs, and faith-based organizations. The process is beneficial both for the individuals as well as the society. Some people ask, “Why is community service such an important quality and trait for a person to posses?” Without community service people would not know the meaning of charity and giving back. Community service can be defined as a service that is performed for the benefit of the public. Community service is not a responsibly or an obligation; it is a commitment. A person must want to do it with good intentions and not because they are being forced to do so. Basically, community service is a way for a person to give back to a community in which they live. There are many ways of giving back to the community; it can include tutoring local elementary students, mentoring local high school students, collecting items for charity, or just simply cleaning up a park. One of the main benefits of community service is that it builds a person’s character. It helps you to work on skills of being able to communicate with people, being able to work on a team, and being able to take on leadership role; all of these being skills that a person can use throughout their entire lives.

Firstly, community service allows a person to build communication skills with people by allowing a person a way to interact with others. Communication is a key skill that every person should posses because almost every aspect of life deals with some type of interaction among other groups of people that may not have come from the same type of upbringing, background, or culture. Communication not only helps to effectively deliver messages to others, but it also can help strengthen existing relationships between people and help to form positive bonds in future interactions. This skill is especially important when the service provided is tutoring or being someone’s mentor.

Secondly, community service allows a person to build team player skills. Working one on one with an individual might not be that challenging for many people, but trying to work with a group of people can be very challenging to some. Without effective communication skills, trying to get a project accomplished as a group can be near impossible. Being able to work with a team whether leading them or just being a part of the team, gives a person a way to develop this skill. Possessing these skills allows a person the ability to effectively plan and execute projects with less stress and less hindrance from problems. This skill is especially important when the service provided deals with large groups of people.

Thirdly, community service allows a person to build leadership skills. Many leaders normally posses some common traits which are: intelligence, consistent, humble, an ability to be flexible, an ability to adjust to situations, and an ability to be a team player. Community service allows a person to build and to enhance these common traits of a leader. Community service also gives students a way to develop

leadership skills in real life situations where just being an academically bright person might not make the cut.

Fourthly, community service allows students an opportunity to apply what they are learning in school to real life situations; it gives them a way to take book knowledge and apply it to everyday life. In some ways, it can motivate people to want to achieve more academically by giving them a way to elaborate and to integrate what is learned in a school setting.

http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/benefits_cbosl

Fact Sheets

Benefits of Community-Based Service-Learning

Source: Eugene C. Roehlkepartain, Search Institute, December 2007.Thousands of community-based organizations engage millions of young people in service and service-learning. Though research in K-12 and higher education settings shows a wide range of benefits of effective service-learning (RMC Research, 2006), much less is known about the actual value or benefits of service and service-learning in community-based settings. This fact sheet highlights some of the emerging knowledge in this field based on theory, process evaluations, and field wisdom—knowing that more rigorous research is needed.What Are Community-Based Organizations?There are many kinds of community-based organizations, and there are many ways to define their scope. For purposes of this overview, community-based organizations include:

Social service and other nonprofit providers or associations that may engage young people (and adults) as volunteers;

Community-based youth development organizations and after-school programs that include service or service-learning as part of their programming; and

Faith-based organizations that provide services and offer service experiences as part of their programming. (Because of the unique goals and context of faith-based organizations, the research from that sector is not included in this overview.)

Service and service-learning take many different forms in community settings. One study identified, for example, 11 different models in school-based programs and 15 different forms in community-based programs. These include a series of programs on a specific issue, short-term projects, summer programs, crisis response activities, and youth advisory and planning groups (Shumer, 1993). Hence, one size clearly does not fit all.Benefits for Youth ParticipantsYouth who participate in high-quality community-based service-learning are likely to benefit in a number of ways (Chung, 1997; Coe-Regan et al, in press; Lewis-Charp et al., 2003; Tannenbaum, S. C., 2007; and YMCA of the USA, 2004):

Young people gain access to the range of supports and opportunities (or developmental assets) they need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible. One study of youth civic activism found that these settings had particular strength in cultivating youth and community involvement (Lewis-Charp et al., 2003).

Increased sense of self-efficacy as young people learn that they can impact real social challenges, problems, and needs.

Higher academic achievement and interest in furthering their education.

Enhanced problem-solving skills, ability to work in teams, and planning abilities.

Enhanced civic engagement attitudes, skills and behaviors. Many leaders in public service today speak about how they were nurtured, inspired, and shaped in early experiences in community service or volunteering.

Benefits for Youth Development OrganizationsYouth development organizations and after-school programs that use service-learning can benefit from this strategy in a number of ways:

Young people are more likely to stay engaged when they feel their participation is meaningful and they can make useful contributions through service and social action.

Service-learning gives an intentional strategy for addressing goals for learning and personal development through civic engagement and community service.

Service-learning can cultivate connections between the organization, schools, and other community groups.

Service-learning can increase program staff and volunteers' level of engagement, leadership capacity, and satisfaction with their work.

It is also noteworthy that effective service-learning practices are closely aligned with effective youth development practices A major report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2002) identified eight factors in community programs that facilitate positive youth development:

Physical and psychological safety; Appropriate structure; Supportive relationships; Opportunities to belong; Positive social norms; Support for efficacy and mentoring; Opportunities for skill building; and Integration of family, school, and community efforts.

Done well, service-learning programs addresses all these factors and becomes a particularly useful strategy for increasing self-efficacy and integrating family, school, and community efforts. (Also see Benson et al., 2006; Scales & Roehlkepartain, 2004).Benefits to Organizations that Utilize Young People as VolunteersCommunity-based organizations that engage young people in service and service-learning point to the following kinds of benefits (Chung, 1997, Roehlkepartain, 1995; Naughton, 2000; Melchoir, 1998; reinforced by the general research on the benefits of all types of volunteers identified in: Urban Institute, 2004):

The opportunity to expand their mission and reach without substantially increasing costs by engaging a cadre of competent, motivated young people who share their time and talents in support of the organization's mission.

New energy, ideas, and enthusiasm as well as specialized skills that young people can bring to the organization (such as community skills). Inca Mohamed writes , "Every young person, like every adult, has unique abilities and experience that can expand the capacities and outcomes of [social change] efforts" (Mohamed, 2001, p. 15).

Increased public support and visibility in the community as young people become ambassadors for the agency in their schools, homes, and other networks.

New partnerships and resources that emerge when agencies for service-learning partnerships with schools, youth development organizations, faith-based organizations or others that provide service-learning as part of their programming.

By working with youth and getting them committed to its mission, an organization cultivates a new generation of volunteers for either their own organization or their broader cause.

Benefits for Service Recipients, Communities, and SocietyBeyond the young people the organizations directly involve, community-based service-learning benefits the people served, their communities, and, ultimately, society:

It meets real needs and priorities for individuals and communities, as young people bring new energy, capacity, and creative ideas.

Community residents have opportunities to build positive relationships with young people.

Communities see youth in a different way—as resources, not problems.

A new generation of caring and experienced citizens, activists, and volunteers is cultivated (Mohamed & Wheeler, 2001).

Benefits Don't Come AutomaticallyThe benefits outlined above are not automatic or universal. The specific benefits or impact will vary, depending on the focus, scope, and quality of a particular service or service-learning experience. And, based on other research, it is likely that the benefits are stronger (particularly for young people) for service-learning than for volunteering or community service. Thus, integrating core elements of effective service-learning is key to reaping these and other benefits . Among these core elements of effective practice are the following themes (RMC Research, 2007. Also see Naughton, 2000; and Mantooth & Hamilton, 2004):

Young people have active and meaningful leadership roles; The program is guided by clear and intentional learning and

development goals;

Active, intentional, and structured reflection is integral to the program;

Young people are involved across time (at least 20 hours across several months); and

The service projects meet real community needs and priorities.ConclusionCommunity-based service-learning does not receive the kind of public attention that service-learning receives in education. Yet it offers significant benefits to society, to young people, and to participating institutions. Lawrence Neil Bailis and colleagues (2005) write:Schools are not the only institutions that educate our young people, and community-based organizations can be far more than the 'stage' that schools use to deliver the service-learning programs that they develop. Kindergarten-through-twelfth-grade schooling is only one format for 'education' where young people gain the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and aspirations they will need to become successful adults [p. 3].

ReferencesBailis, L. N., Shields, T., Henning, A., & Neal, M. (2005). Profiles of

community-based service-learning in the United States. St. Paul, MN: National Youth Leadership Council. Retrieved from http://www.nylc.org/sites/nylc.org/files/files/126CBOG2G.pdf

Benson, P. L., Scales, P. C., Hamilton, S. F., & Sesma, A., Jr. (2006). Positive youth development: Theory, research, and applications. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (6th ed.) (Vol. 1, pp. 894-941).

Chung, A. N. (1997). Service as a strategy in out-of-school time: A how-to manual. Washington, DC: Corporation for National Service. Retrieved from http://nationalserviceresources.org/learns/service-ost

Coe-Regan, J. R., & O'Donnell, J. (2006). Best practices for integrating technology and service learning in a youth development program. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 3, 201-220.

Eccles, J., & Gootman, J. A. (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Lewis-Charp, H., HanhCao Yu, H., Soukamneuth, S., & Lacoe, J. (2003). Extending the reach of youth development through civic activism: Research results from the youth leadership for development initiative. Takoma Park, MD: Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development.

Mantooth, L. J., & Hamilton, M. P. (2004). 4-H service learning standard and best practice guide. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service. Retrieved from http://www.utextension.utk.edu/4h/SOS/resources/index.htm

Melchior, A. (1998). National evaluation of Learn and Serve America school and community-based programs: Final report. Washington, DC: Corporation for National and Community Service.

Mohamed, I. A. (2001). Notes from a program officer: The case for youth engagement. In I. Mohamed & W. Wheeler (Eds.), Broadening the bounds of youth development: Youth as engaged citizens. Takoma Park, MD: Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development.

Mohamed, I. A., & Wheeler, W. (Eds.). (2001). Broadening the bounds of youth development: Youth as engaged citizens. Takoma Park, MD: Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development.

Naughton, S. (2000). Youth and communities helping each other: Community-based organizations using service-learning as a strategy during out-of-school time. Washington, DC: Corporation for National Service.

RMC Research Corporation. (2006). Impacts of service-learning on participating k-12 students. Scotts Valley, CA: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/impacts

RMC Research Corporation. (2007). Improving outcomes for k-12 service-learning participants. Scotts Valley, CA: National Service-Learning Clearinghouse. Retrieved from http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/improving_outcomes

Roehlkepartain, E. C. (1995). Everyone wins when youth serve. Washington, DC: Points of Light Foundation.

Scales, P. C., & Roehlkepartain, E. C. (2004). Service to other: A "gateway" asset for school success and healthy development. In J. Kielsmeier, M. Neal, & M. McKinnon (Eds.), Growing to greatness 2004: The state of service-learning project (pp. 26-32). St. Paul, MN: National Youth Leadership Council.

Shumer, R. (1993). Describing service-learning: A Delphi study. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, Department of Vocational and Technical Education.

Tannenbaum, S. C. (2007). Tandem pedagogy: Embedding service-learning into an after-school program. Journal of Experiential Education, 29(2), 111-125.

Urban Institute. (2004). Volunteer management capacity in America's charities and congregations: A briefing report. Washington, DC: Author.

YMCA of the USA. (2004). The YMCA service-learning guide: A tool for enriching the member, the participant, the YMCA, and the community (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: Author.

The advantages and disadvantages of Community service or social service as modes of criminal punishment.

Community service or social service is a mode of punishment provide by the law which the offender can escape imprisonment or fines. Community service acts as an alternative to the harsh criminal punishment. Generally, community service is handed down by a judge or magistrate to the first-timer offender or teenage offender. This punishment can also be handed down in the case of minor offences for example traffic violations, petty theft, and other nonviolent offenses. The offender is required to perform unpaid work or other activity in the community under the direction of a probation officer or supervisor. Among the community work undergo by the offender are cleaning up roadside or parks, attending educational programs and presenting speeches and seminars concerning the negative effect of crime.

The community work may be a specific community service which imposed a particular service, depending on the types and degrees of the offences. For instance, offender of littering will have to clean a park so that he understands the effect of littering, thus change his perception towards littering. Meaning to say, community service is designed to ensure that the guilty party is punished in some way other than simply paying a fine which can be nothing in the way of a deterrent. Many individuals convicted of a crime and have to pay a fine simply done the same offence again and this leads only to their continual committing of crime. The community service is imposed for a specific period which measured by hour of service. The hours imposed is vary, depending on the nature of the offence.

Community service is a healthy alternative mode of punishment and has lots of advantages. It is seen to benefit a country and the government in so many ways. Firstly, community service provide for less expensive punishment compared to imprisonment. It takes a lot of money to send a person to jail. In United Kingdom, it costs £100 per day to keep a low-risk drug-addicted offender in jail and £37,500 for sending a person to prison for one year. In contrast, only £3,000 is needed to send a person to one year of community rehabilitation order. On average, sending a person to prison is 12 times higher than sending a person to community service.

Prisons around the world are facing the same problem which is overcrowding prison. More prisoners means more foods and more security is needed. The increase in the numbers of prisoners subsequently increases the cost for running the prison. So, based on the facts, community service is a great way to cut government cost on punishing offenders as it provide for the less expensive approach with similar effect and helps in reducing the overcrowding problem in prison. Consequently, the money saved can be used for development thus improve the living of the country.

Secondly, community service is healthier than imprisonment. This is because, community service offer help to the offenders to rehabilitate themselves more effectively than in prison. This is mainly because; by community service the offenders are able to give something back to the community as prove that they have change. By doing so, the offenders will have small risk of reoffending neither in the number of crimes nor the seriousness of the crimes. If the offender is stuck in the 6×8 feet cell, the offender will have limited resources to help him rehabilitate.

Furthermore, putting a first time offender with minor offence in the same room with big time criminal for quite sometimes will negatively affect the first time offender in term of his thinking towards crimes. So, separating the offender is a way to avoid an escalation in deviant behavior when new offenders are mixed with hardened criminals.

Next, community service benefits the courts as it provide sentencing alternatives for the courts in making judgment so the courts are not bound to only impose imprisonment or fines. Moreover, the offenders will be placed where their skills and interest can be maximized for community benefit. By doing so, the offenders have greater chances to rehabilitate and repel. It will also help in preventing and reducing the social stigma toward the offenders. Social stigma can be defined as severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are perceived to be against cultural norms. In this context, social stigma can be referred to the negative perception of the public toward the offenders. Protection from social stigma is important for young and new offenders as it help to build confident for rehabilitate purpose. Social stigma has great potential in forcing the offenders to commit the same or other serious offences.

Community service provides a just punishment to the offenders. In cases which involve monetary penalty, for instances fine, compensation or restitution, it is not practical to fine a person who does not have the capacity to pay the fine due to financial problem such as limited salary. This is where community service comes in as incapability to pay the fine is not an excuse to escape punishment.

However despite the advantages, such punishment has defects of its own. Community service is often being regarded as a waste of time. This is because the time taken for the offenders to complete a service is too long and sometimes unreasonable. For example, a traffic offender needs to work unpaid for 100 hours over a $100 fines. This situation is seen to be an impractical and unproductive method in favor of the offender because the time use for the work can be used for the offender to improve his living. Moreover, the long hours of community service may affect the offender normal life as he needs to juggle his life with the service.

Community service is not an adequate punishment for the offenders. This is because community service is not harsh enough to educate and rehabilitate the offenders compare to imprisonment. Community service is only seen as a ticket to escape imprisonment. Many argued that offences punishable with community service do not really ample together. In some cases, the punishment of community service imposed is to kind towards the offenders. Such punishment will only result the offenders to re-offence as the consequences of the guilty act are minor.

Then, the administration of community service requires administrative oversight that may exceed the capacity of the non-governmental organizations to provide. If the agencies of community service where the offenders serve do not have the capacity to provide required punishment, the rehabilitation of the offenders will be affected. Thus little chances of recovery for the offenders and later lead to re-offending.

Community service sends the offenders back to public as a method of rehabilitate them. However, the public exposure may result in stigmatization towards the offenders. Negative perception from public will affect the offenders’ psychology in recovering from the offences. It will bring the morale and confident of the offenders down. At the time of recovering, confident and support of the community are important for successful recovery. Unfortunately, community service will expose the offenders to public and the higher the risk of stigmatization.

In conclusion, community service can be seen as great method of punishment as it gives the offenders the opportunity to give something back to the community. In addition, it’s a way to saving cost related with incarceration of the convict and a way to educate convicts on what constitutes ethically acceptable. However, this criminal punishment need to be reviewed before imposing it as it only act as an alternative for other punishment such as imprisonment and fine. It also needs some enhancement to be more effective and efficient alternatives.

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[ 1 ]. www.lawandparents.co.uk/community-sentences

[ 2 ]. Haringey Youth: Community punishment and rehabilitation orders

[ 3 ]. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia: Community Service

[ 4 ]. Community sentences cut crime: Howard League for Penal Reform

[ 5 ]. Community sentences cut crime: Howard League for Penal Reform

[ 6 ]. Enhancement of Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration at the Sentencing Stage of the Criminal Justice Process

[ 7 ]. Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia: Social Stigma

[ 8 ]. Enhancement of Community-Based Alternatives to Incarceration at the Sentencing Stage of the Criminal Justice Process

[ 9 ]. www.mops.gov.il/CommunityServiceAsPunishment44_45

[ 10 ]. www.mops.gov.il/CommunityServiceAsPunishment44_45

Effective community service involves the ability to overcome stereotypes and judgments, as well as having a genuine passion for helping others while building the capacities and competencies of the clients we serve. An individual cannot truly engage in effective community service without understanding that these principles are necessary to fostering change in institutions and creating a positive healthy relationship within the environment.

Volunteering at the Capital District Psychiatric Center this semester has been an experience like no other. Not only have I been able to have an effective impact on the patients’ lives, but they have truly had an impact on mines. As a psychology major at the University, I walked into the psychiatric center with my own expectations and beliefs about what my experience would be like. Without knowledge and based on what you see in movies, many people assume that patients are constantly being restrained in restraining jackets, and are probably most of the time acting really out of order. To my surprise, that definitely was not the case at Capital District. It wasn’t until I attempted to understand and apply the principles of overcoming stereotypes and judgments that I was able to work on creating a healthy relationship and environment between myself and the patients.

The article “Becoming Good Citizens” (Duncan and Kooperud, 2008) was the basis for my understanding of how individuals can begin to apply their qualities of being an effective team leader. According to the article, becoming a good citizen entails being able to make good judgments while recognizing and working to overcome negative stereotypes and judgments. An individual that makes good judgments based on prior experience and reflection is able to “make informed decisions about the polity at large” guided by their sense of morality and consideration for others. Familiarity with ethics while practicing community service is another way in which individuals can work towards overcoming negative stereotypes and judgments.

Ethical behavior according to Duncan and Kooperud, is necessary for being truly moral. Practicing honesty and integrity, fairness, and respect are ways we can work on breaking down stereotypes and judgments during our service to the community. While volunteering at the Capital District Psychiatric Center, it wasn’t until I began to apply the principles of ethics, while I personally

worked to break down the stereotypes and judgments I was acquainted with, when I began to develop healthy relations with the clients I served.

Effective community service also involves having a genuine compassion for helping others. The article “Hungry Minds” written by Ian Frazier demonstrated that all individuals have the power and resources to positively affect the lives of others, but what we lack is a true commitment. When an individual is able to engage in community service for no reason other than to produce positive change, their commitment will then over shine their work and that individual will be able to successfully give back to the community with compassion for the individuals he/she serves.

This article demonstrated how one church was determined to change the lives of homeless individuals. Through consistent soup kitchens for the hungry, the church was able to give those in need a resource for comfort. The church also created writing workshops to stimulate the minds and thoughts of individuals facing hardships. This church showed a genuine compassion for helping others because they were capable of showing the individuals they were serving that they weren’t forgotten, and during their times of crisis, they were provided support and encouragement to empower those individuals. This article showed me that just because someone is different, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the same respect and attention that everyone else is entitled to. Reading this article taught me the true meaning of being compassionate; we shouldn’t abandon individuals in crisis because everyone deserves a chance.

A final principle of effective community service involves building the capacities and competencies of the individuals we serve. The article “Power in the People” by Dennis Saleeby, discussed that the individuals we serve, deserve to feel like they are capable of performing tasks, and are no less than we are. “Instead of highlighting their weaknesses, we need to build on their strengths” (Saleeby, 1997). When we assume an individual is weak because of their abnormality, we provide less of a service to them, and directly affect the resources we allocate for their well being. Our value for helping individuals changes because we view them as less than ourselves.

According to Saleeby, when an individual is revealed to have an abnormality, diagnostic labels tend to dominate all other elements of a person’s character. These labels eventually become how the person begins to perceive their true identity. Furthermore, we transform the individual into cases and place them into categories, while ignoring important elements of the individuals’ cultural, social, and political life.

My experience as a volunteer at the Capital District Psychiatric Center has been directly influenced by what the above mentioned articles identified as effective community service. My first responsibility was breaking down the stereotypes and beliefs that I held, which directly influenced my interactions with the patients. When I was able to break down that wall, I realized that not only were the patients fairly friendly, but they were really interested in any assistance you could offer them as their leader. Disorders these patients suffered from ranged from sever schizophrenia, to manic disorders, to rapists and murders, and throughout my experience, never once did I feel as if my well being was threatened. During my semester at Capital District, I had hands on involvement with the

patients. I worked in the school, and assisted the patients in learning basic academic work with the hopes of improving their education and working on a better future if they were released.

Working in the school and assisting the patients with academic work directly relates to one of the principles of effective community service because I worked daily to help the patients feel competent and capable in their daily activities. Just because they are “labeled” as having a psychotic disorder, doesn’t mean that they are incapable of achieving the goals that they set for themselves. I agree with the principle that once you label a person as disordered, they begin to believe they are not competent, so I utilized my time and resources to encourage them to want to achieve and succeed.

I believe the final principle of effective community service—having a passion for the persons whom we serve—is one that I was well aware of and able to improve upon during my service with the Capital District Psychiatric Center. Through communication and honesty, I was able to develop a healthy relationship where trust was reciprocated between the clients and myself.

I believe the Capital District Psychiatric Center gained the opportunity to have a younger, less biased individual work directly caring for the patient’s needs. Having an unpaid volunteer work with the patients will show the patients that the people who work with them don’t only do it for money, and really do care. Throughout my experience I was able to gain a lot of trust and respect from the patients, and today I can say I truly care for their well being.

This experience has taught me the true meaning of community service, and allowed me to help the patients to my full capacity. I walked into the psychiatric center with hope that I could positively influence someone’s life, and I walked out of the psychiatric center at the end of the semester with the confidence to say I have. I’ve given the patients the ability to learn and understand basic elementary coursework. I’ve provided many of the patients with the encouragement and hope that they are capable of conquering their challenges and succumbing the obstacles or reasons why they may have been diagnosed in the first place. I believe that I have truly impacted these patients, because I was able to re-assure the patients that they could in fact learn the material I was teaching them, and eventually go on to take their GED, and surprisingly they built enough confidence in themselves to actually strive towards acquiring their GED.

This volunteer experience has also taught me some things about myself, and my relationship to the world of work. My experiences at Capital District Psychiatric center has taught me that everyone deserves a chance, and it would be selfish for anyone who commits themselves to this environment, to just give up. The most important thing that I have learned during my experience at Capital District Psychiatric Center was that knowledge is power. It is easy for anyone to make their assumptions about what really happens, but it isn’t until you learn the truth, that you can begin to have hope for a better future; if not for yourself, than for someone else. These biased expectations that a person may have, can actually affect adequate treatment for the patients, because of someone’s lack of hope for progression.

This experience has affected my commitment for volunteer service in the future because I now feel a sense of obligation to help others in need. My career goals were strengthened and confirmed;

working in this population of people is where I truly want to be. I believe the Psychiatric Center may benefit from incorporating the principles of the articles because individuals that are being serviced deserve quality, and persons who are genuinely passionate about their well being.

BENEFIT OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

- to help others

- to meet new people

- to make a difference

- to have fun

- to feel better about yourself

- to feel an increase sense of community

- increase your productivity

- to learn a new skill

- to use skills you already have

- to give hope to others

- to help make others happy

- to help the environment

- to feel valued and appreciated

- to give your life purpose

Benefits Of Community service

Though, the concept of community service is not very new, but its importance has developed in the past few years. There are thousands of organizations all over the world that engage and hold millions of young people all through the world. People of all age groups, with a maximum number of youth are involved in the process of community service. Community-based organizations include; social service organizations, nonprofit providers and associations that engage both young people as well adults as volunteers; youth development organizations, after-school programs, and faith-based organizations. The

process is beneficial both for the individuals as well as the society. The many benefits of community service include:

1. Benefits to the students.

Research and study is this direction shows that when students invest a major part of their out-of-class energy and time in educationally focused activities like community service it brings numerous benefits for them. It aids to enhance personal skills, student learning, and leads to their professional development.

2. Benefits to the community.

As a result of community service, the community also gains services and resources that are otherwise unavailable for the community.

3.Personal development of volunteers.

Community service works on the old theory of “giving a little and receiving loads of “good things”. People involved in community service get numerous personal benefits for themselves. Volunteer service in community based organizations has a unique and exclusive way of developing the personal skills of individuals which include leadership skills, self-esteem, sense of community, and many other personal characteristics.

4.Aids in career growth.

Community service aids in career growth of youth volunteering for these services. The service activities provide the students with opportunities to explore potential careers, experience the “actual world” of the career field which they have chosen for themselves, develop and grow professional skills, develop contacts, improve their resume, and practically apply all information that they have learned in their academic settings.

5.Beneficial to the community.

All efforts related to community service are designed and developed to help individuals as well as groups to deal with different issues related to our society. Apart from this, every act of community service produces a ripple effect, which eventually provides some benefit to the entire society and community.

6.Gets the work done in limited budgets.

The organizations which provide you a chance to offer your services also benefit enormously due to community service. All government programs and programs run by non-profit agencies are carried out in limited budgets and extremely high workloads. The presence of volunteers for any kind of work gets the work done in very small budgets.

When the youth of our society learns to serve others for no profit, they become empowered and grow up learning that they can and will make a positive difference in the world. this will surely make this world a better place to live.

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Benefits of Community Service

The benefits of community service include:

* A sense of pride and happiness in helping others

* Strengthening your community

* Fostering a sense of responsibility

* Building tolerance

* Solving problems

* Bonding within the community

* Improvement of lives

People who volunteer bring about an overall improvement in their lives; they become more "connected" to their families and neighbors, and have a happier and a more positive outlook towards life.