When you think about community service and the benefits it provides, it is a wonder that more schools do not require it. Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community. 

One of the main benefits of community service is that students develop real-world skills that help them succeed. These skills include leadership, problem solving, collaboration with others, time management, and communication.

With volunteering in community service comes a sense of responsibility. The civil-rights leader Gandhi once said that “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” 

It is vastly important to form connections and find friends within a community. Volunteering helps with these aspects of life. It strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to new people and increasing socialization. 

Volunteering can help you feel connected to those you are helping in the community. Students have the ability to make a big difference in many people’s lives for the better which is the ultimate goal of community service.

Community service also enhances and encourages civic responsibility. It is crucial that schools show students the importance of civic duty and becoming a trustworthy citizen.

And most importantly, students will learn that they are capable of making a difference in the real world.

Community service also provides students with perspective, which for many who grow up in a privileged house-hold will be crucial in their learning arc.

By performing community service, students are given the opportunity to experience how their work can have an impact on the world around them. They will be given the chance to interact with different people with different backgrounds. Students can learn patience and empathy as they develop a global perspective.

One study shows that students who take part in volunteering and give back to the community perform better in school. They have positive relationships with the community and have higher grades, academic goals, and attendance.

By participating in community service, many students receive an upper edge in college acceptances. As the bar for admission into competitive colleges gets higher, volunteer experience can prove very valuable. According to a college admissions survey, 58 percent recommend community service positively impacts a student’s chance of being accepted.

Although community service is not required at Sutton High, that doesn’t mean volunteering is off the table. Our school offers CSL (Community Service Learning) as a club for all grades in high school. Run by Mrs. Gamble, CSL participates in many events such as car washes, face painting, planting tulips, baking, movie nights and drive-ins. I recommend CSL for those who wish to be more active in our community.

Moreover, students who participate in community service experience multiple advantages as they enter a new stage of their lives. Schools need to encourage community service even if it means making volunteering be required. The impact of community service will make the school and the students inside it a better place.

And just remember that: