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Definition:
What Is
Community
Service?

Posted by Christine Sarikas | Jul 19,

2018 6:35:00 PM
EXTRACURRICULARS

Are you looking for ways to help others? Are

you interested in community service and want
to learn more about it?

16 this guide to learn what community

Read
Shares
service is,15
examples1 of community service, and
how you can find service projects that interest
you.

What Is Community Service?

Community service is work done by a person

or group of people that benefits others. It is
often done near the area where you live, so
your own community reaps the benefits of your
work. You do not get paid to perform
community service, though sometimes food
and small gifts, like a t-shirt, are given to
volunteers.

Community service can help any group of

people in need: children, senior citizens,
people with disabilities, English language
learners, and more. It can also help animals,
such as those at a shelter, and it can be used to
improve places, such as a local park, historic
building, or scenic area as well. Community
service is often organized through a local
group, such as a place of worship, school, or
non-profit organization. You can also start your
own community service projects.

Some students are required to complete

community service as part of a class
requirement in order to graduate high school
or become a member of certain organizations,
such as the National Honor Society. Adults can
also participate in community service as a way
to help others or if they are ordered to do so by
a judge.

What Are Examples of

Community Service?

There are hundreds of ways to participate in

community service, depending on your skills
and interests. Some common community
service examples include:

Working with schoolchildren: Tutoring

children after school, collecting school supplies
to donate, planting a school garden.

Working with senior citizens: Visiting

residents of a retirement center, delivering
meals to senior citizens, driving them to
appointments.

Improving the environment: Holding a

recycling contest, planting trees, creating a new
trail at a nature center.

Helping low-income people: Passing out food

at a soup kitchen, collecting used clothes to be
donated, making first aid kits for homeless
shelters.

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What Are the Benefits of

Community Service?

There are many benefits of participating in

community service, and some of the most
important ones are listed below.

Have the opportunity to help others: This is

often the most important benefit of community
service. Participating in it gives you the
opportunity to know that you are improving
someone's life and making your community
better, and you get to see the direct impact of
your work.

Gain hands-on experience: You can learn a lot

of skills while performing community service
such as construction, painting, customer
service, and medical skills. You can also include
your community service work on your resume.

Learn about different careers: Sometimes

you can focus your community service in a field
you may want to work in down the road. Some
examples of this include volunteering at an
animal shelter if you are thinking about
becoming a veterinarian, working at a hospital
if you want to be a doctor, or volunteering in a
museum if you like history. The experience
gained from community service can help you
get an internship or job in the future, and it also
gives you the opportunity to see how much you
would really enjoy a particular career.

Personal growth: Doing community service

has personal benefits as well. It often makes
participants more organized, responsible, and
compassionate, which are all good qualities to
have, as well as qualities that both colleges and
employers like to see in applicants.

Gain new friends: A final benefit is that

you can meet a lot of great people while doing
community service. Community service is often
done in groups, so it’s easy to make friends
with the people you are working with. You may
also become friends with the people you are
helping, especially if you volunteer at the same
place regularly.

Where Can You Find

Community Service Projects?

Your school or groups you belong to: This

can include clubs, places of worship,
community centers or any other organizations
you are a member of. To find community
service opportunities, check their website,
bulletin board, or newsletter. If you are a
student, your school may also have a
community service club that makes it easier to
get involved.

Places where you'd like to volunteer: If you

have a specific place where you’d like to
perform community service, like a hospital or
animal shelter, contact them and ask if they
take volunteers.

Your community itself: You can also look for

opportunities at your town hall, or similar
building. Also, check your town’s website or
newsletter. Many include a section that lists
current volunteer opportunities.

What's Next?

Did you know that your volunteer work can

earn you money for college? It can! Check out
the complete list of community service
scholarships.

Considering doing community service in a

foreign country? Check out our guide to see
whether you should participate in a volunteer
abroad program.

Do you want more examples of community

service? We have a list of 129 great volunteer
ideas!

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Christine Sarikas
About the
Author
Christine
graduated from
Michigan State
University with
degrees in
Environmental
Biology and
Geography and
received her
Master's from Duke
University. In high
school she scored
in the 99th
percentile on the
SAT and was
named a National
Merit Finalist. She
has taught English
and biology in
several countries.

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Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other

topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Babatunde Popoola 6/29/2016, 2:22:47 AM

I truly benefited from your article. I am

unemployed, how can I go into community
service and be happy, and also see it as my
personal employment. I read secretarial
studies, so please advise me on what type of
service could make sense to me. Thank you

Reply to Babatunde Popoola

Christine Sarikas 7/2/2016, 1:05:07 AM

Hi Babatunde,

I'm glad the article helped! In my opinion,

the best community service fills a need in
the community and is also interesting and
enjoyable for the volunteer.

You can either start by looking around your

community for volunteer opportunities and
seeing which ones are most interesting to
you or begin by contacting places where
you'd like to volunteer and ask them if they
have any need for volunteers.

I think your background in secretarial

studies would make you a valuable
volunteer for many places while also
developing your skills in that area. A lot of
non-profits have difficulty affording office
staff, and you could use your skills to fill
that role for them. Choosing an
organization that aligns with an interest of
yours is a great way to make sure you
enjoy the work.

Good luck!

Christine

Reply to Christine Sarikas

kirstyn busby 8/31/2016, 11:25:32 PM

this is the best site ever;/

Reply to kirstyn busby

immaculate abumere 1/4/2018, 5:00:52 AM

I love your article. keep me posted

Reply to immaculate abumere

Connor Catlin 2/21/2018, 3:42:47 AM

I am truly astonished how much info this gave

me,at first I thought it was gonna be one of
those "websites" you have to sign up for and go
to the meetings or something but this is
AMASING!!!!
Thank You

Reply to Connor Catlin

Christine Sarikas 2/22/2018, 2:32:50 AM

Hi Connor,

I'm glad you found it helpful!

Christine

Reply to Christine Sarikas

Jerric Cruz 9/26/2018, 10:28:40 PM

This article is very helpful to me i learned a lot

from this

Reply to Jerric Cruz

Jessie Cruz 11/29/2018, 9:04:46 PM

I really appreciate this article this very detailed

all my question are answered

Reply to Jessie Cruz

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