It is ironic that in times of scarcity there is an abundance of something. When water is low, there is an abundance of thirst. When money is scarce in communities there is an abundant need for the helping hands of volunteers.

Over the summer I volunteered in two programs. The first was at the Laurel Learning Center, where I served as a mentor to kids in a “learn by play” styled program. We spent the days playing basketball and surprisingly vicious games of dodge ball, but the highlight for me was definitely getting to teach the children how to play tennis. This was a much less violent activity.

The second program I participated in was a summer learning camp, a program called “Young Scholars,” which is a schooling supplement for struggling lower income learners. I assisted the program as a teacher’s aid and a tutor, spending days getting to know the kids I interacted with. 

Being a member of NHS and an IB Diploma candidate, I could simply label these activities as “requirements.” I could write them off as service hours, something we are all familiar with as high school students. 

In fact, I can recall doing volunteer work and getting signatures for credit since my middle school years. There are even some courses, such as political science and honors Government that incorporate volunteering into the curriculum.

One would question the internal value of something that is nevertheless required. What does one gain from serving at a homeless shelter simply because he or she needs the credit? It creates the idea that kids are not actually benefiting from volunteer work because the service is not technically voluntary.

These requirements are beneficial. Personally, I probably would not have participated in anything I did over the summer if it had not been required. Yet, while “getting the assignment done” I realized that I really enjoy working with kids and teaching them new things. I recognized strength in my persona because I was able to see past the requirement of it all and open my eyes to an interest I did not know I had.

Required service hours allow us to step out of our usual theatres of life and approach something new that we might actually enjoy.  

Sometimes all it takes is a little forceful push for us to realize something we actually enjoy or something that we are capable of doing that really makes a difference in our communities.