What is Community Service?

Community service is an act performed by one person, or a group of people, that benefits other less privileged people around them, bettering the community in the process. As the name suggests, people perform community service within their own community, neighbourhood or district, and in doing so, they contribute to the institutions and organisations that, more often than not, constitute a big part of their own lives. Although there may be some exceptions to this, most community services are done on a voluntary basis, and the many kindhearted people who willingly devote time and effort to helping others around them often do not get paid for their work. As a result, community service is regarded by many as something people do of their own free will, spurred on by their own compassion, empathy, and desire to share what they have with others in need.

 

There are various types of activities and services people can participate in or provide to those around them, such as direct service, indirect service, advocacy and research. Though they are all vastly different, their great impact on the community is undeniable. In direct service, the actions of volunteers have a direct effect on the targeted group. For instance, when people get together to clean up a community park, they directly benefit the park by cleaning it up themselves. This is much unlike indirect service, wherein people are not present with the group they are helping. In most cases, indirect service involves the raising of funds or collection of donations to be given towards a cause. Using the same example of the park, if people were to provide service indirectly to help the park, they would be donating money to buy cleaning equipment or rent transportation, without actually going there to do the cleaning. 

 

As for advocacy, it is when people serve a cause by speaking up for it. If we notice that something needs improvement, we could petition to initiate this change, or hold public rallies to raise awareness for it. This encourages other people to take either direct or indirect action to help the cause. However, when little is known about how the central issue the cause addresses can be solved, then the final type of basic community service, known as research, takes place. This is when people aim to learn more about the issue in order to take better measures to deal with it.

 

Regardless of the type of community service you participate in, as long as you do your part to serve the community, you exert a positive influence on the lives of others. In several ways big and small, your help can result in a happier life for them—they’ll have people to care for them when they need it, they’ll have something to look forward to once in a while, and their burdens will be lightened, their days brightened. This is a gift that all of us should give, especially if we are fortunate to have the means to “pass it on” and do so. Sometimes, helping others can also be an eye-opener: we get a glimpse into the lives of those who are not as well-off as we are, and it teaches us to appreciate what we have, and do our simple moral duty to share our happiness with them.