COMMUNITY SERVICE Contrary to what many people believe, community service is not something that is reserved exclusively for

adults, charity workers or penalized celebrities. It is something that even schoolgoing kids, youngsters and teenagers can go about doing in their spare time. In fact, there are quite a few schools and academic institutions which have laid down a certain fixed number of hours of community service, to be mandatory for their students. On that note, let us have a look at a few community service ideas for kids and youngsters. Interesting Community Service Ideas for Kids There are plenty of possibilities when it comes to community service opportunities related to kids and children. Some of them can be individual activities while quite a few of them happen to be group activities or those that can be performed by the entire family itself. From cleaning the neighborhood or mowing a lawn, to helping out in a day care center; the opportunities are endless. Listed below are some categorized community service projects for kids. Environment-based Community Service Ideas Here are some common and relatively simple environment related community service ideas, which are ideal for kids.

Conducting or participating in a mass 'tree plantation drive' on a regular basis. Conducting a cleanliness drive and picking up garbage and litter from parks, neighborhood streets, nearby hillocks, etc. Improving the appearance of your local garden or neighborhood park by planting special saplings or flowers. Inspecting public places like bus stops, pavement benches, etc. and examining whether they are broken and in need of any repair work. Conducting environment awareness and anti-pollution drives and promoting the use of cycles and public transport.

Senior Citizen Related Community Service Ideas Here are a few community service ideas that focus on helping out the elderly community.

Paying a fortnightly visit to old age homes, retirement homes, etc. and spending quality time with all the elderly people. Sending greeting cards or gifts during festivals to people in old age homes and retirement homes. Collecting old clothes from neighborhood houses and donating them to old age homes or the needy. Baking some treats for senior citizens and the elderly who live alone in old age homes or retirement homes. Providing other forms of essential help, such as arranging for reading glasses, comfortable armchairs, walkers, blankets, woolen clothing, books, etc.

Community Service Ideas Related to the Lesser-privileged Here are some generic community service ideas which kids can make use of for assisting the needy and the lesser-privileged section of society.

Donating old textbooks and other educational material to needy children. Donating food, medicines and other essential commodities to poor families and victims of natural disasters. Making homemade Christmas gifts and distributing them among the needy people, orphaned children and the homeless. Volunteering to teach some computer basics to the lesser-privileged children in your locality. Even school or college students can start up after school tutoring programs to help them.

You can read more on the benefits of volunteering. Other Community Service Ideas for Kids In addition to the aforementioned ideas, here are some more community service ideas that kids can consider taking up.

Writing letters or sending greetings to old war veterans and retired soldiers in your locality. Forming a group and sending a joint note of thanks to the emergency services, paramedics, local police officers, fire fighters, etc. Mowing a lawn belonging to an elderly couple. Volunteering to help in the cleaning and maintenance of your neighborhood animal shelter. Circulating fliers requesting people to follow and abide by all the basic traffic rules, household safety precautions, etc. Form a musical group and conduct a musical performance for the elderly who live alone in old age homes. It will make them feel good and it will make their day. Volunteer to teach a subject at Sunday school. Form a group, prepare a basic map of your locality and put it up in a central location. It will prove to be beneficial for people who are new to the area.

This was a brief overview on community service ideas for kids. For your benefit, here are a few more community service ideas that you can go through. Remember, when it comes to children, inculcating the habit of doing community service at an early age is always beneficial. It makes them mature and all the more responsible towards society. By Tintin He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." - Confucius I think that is a really beautiful opinion about charity, sympathy and service to others. Community service, a recent thing which has come up in the USA is a significant part of charity and social service. Community service and volunteering is being taken up and being encouraged, on a considerable scale, not just in the USA but quite a few other countries as well. Helping

communities or others has always been appreciated and encouraged, so what is its special relevance now? Here is trying to fathom the importance of community service. Community Service Explained Before moving on to the importance and purpose of community service, lets take a look at what exactly constitutes community service. Community service refers to a donated service or activity performed by an individual or a group of people for the well being and benefit of the public or public institutions. Those who offer service are called volunteers. Those who are compelled to do so by government or the court or school are not termed as volunteers, as they are not doing it out of their own will. This is basically the concept of community service and that is a part of the answer to the basic question of what is the importance of a community. Why Community Service is Important There are many aspects intertwined, with regards to the issue of community service importance. People do it for several reasons, it is something like to each his own. It is for you to analyze, what are you helping others for, and do you find it worthwhile. The purpose of community service can be vary for each individual or group, given here are a examples for which community service is done. Purpose #1 Each country wants its youth and children to be disciplined and wanting to work for a change. Community service is the best way to instill this sense of responsibility in children. To add another dimension to the aspect of reform, the American judicial system has recognized community service and it has been assigning such projects to law breakers for a long time. Inmates are asked to participate in community service like cleaning roads and stuff like that. This brings discipline and reform in the life of a convict, particularly those who are young. Such convicts have a good chance to turn over a new leaf by doing such projects. Purpose #2 Another benefit of community service is that children and teenagers can be introduced to morals and good values. These values can be instilled in youngsters. Values like honesty, humbleness, gratefulness, respect, being non-judgmental, sincere are some of the virtues to be learned from community service. These, unfortunately cannot be taught in the classroom. Due to all these reasons, parents are sending their kids regularly, and in larger numbers, for community service. Different community service ideas for kids gives them a good feeling of having done something for others. The children learn to think beyond 'I, me, myself' and get a wider perspective of life. Purpose #3 Importance of community service lies in the fact that it has now become a vehicle for getting the nation together. It can almost be like the focal point of a nation, as there is a major emphasis on doing good for others. This is mostly driven by religious and political corridors. The importance of community service is thus being realized and spread far and wide. Purpose #4

There are times when we think of what we have gained in life and what we had dreamed of achieving. Sometimes what we think, never turns into reality. But such dreams can often lead to a detour. We can still do what we love and help those around us. This can be anything from helping maintain a library, to help a sports coach, be a teacher and can think of many other community service ideas. Community service would not let any of your talent go in vain, that is one of the best part of participating in it. Sometimes helping others dreams can give us immense satisfaction and joy. It can take us to a different spiritual level all together. Significance of community service ultimately depends on how you perceive it. Such programs are meant to instill a sense of civic engagement and community in children. The more the number of community service hours children put in, it will automatically help them in achieving their developmental, social and educational goals. The importance of community service has further increased and spread as a result of lot of celebrities and public figures, from White House to Hollywood, endorsing it. What is more, even corporate world has recognized the benefits of community service and are helping the cause by indulging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This is where I end my treatise on importance of community service. Take care of yourselves and others. By Medha Godbole Published: 7/7/2010