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What is Community Service
The historical backdrop of humankind doesn't recollect a general public, which would be stranger to the thoughts of deliberate and impartial help. There have consistently been individuals in every region who helped the local community in which this individual was conceived and lived. In any case, just in the 20th century, on the European landmass, community service started to get the highlights of an overall social wonder.
After the First World War, in 1920, in France, close to Strasbourg, the principal Community Service undertaking was done with the cooperation of German and French youth, in order to reestablish the ranches obliterated by World War I in the zone of the wildest battlefields among German and French soldiers. From that point forward, community service has acquired force and fame on an overall scale.
In many countries of the world, community service work today is a daily social practice: people unite to plant trees, teach healthy lifestyles, hold environmental campaigns, organize conferences, forums, build, prevent offenses, and solve common problems.
The Main Characteristics of Community Service
The modern stage in the development of community service is represented by three groups of approaches that have developed and manifested themselves: the concept of civil society, the economic approach, and the labor approach, the essence of which we have mentioned above.
The main characteristics are:
- Good will. While the motivation for engaging in community service actions will probably always consist of several reasons, including peer pressure (or parental pressure) and duty, it should be voluntary, without coercion. But it is not always the case. As some volunteer work can be obligated as a part of legal punishment.
- Benefit to society. There must be a specific beneficiary (someone who needs help) or a group of beneficiaries (including such abstract concepts as the environment or society itself) that need help.
- Reward. The main purpose of such service is not related to financial gain, and any financial reimbursement must be less than the value of the work performed.
- Degree of participation. Although in most cases the degree of involvement in such actions is constant, it can still be carried out with varying degrees of participation, from full involvement to episodic participation in community service.
There are several different types of community service:
- Mutual help. People help other members of their own social group or community.
- Charity or service for the benefit of others. The primary beneficiary is not a member of the local group where the volunteer belongs, but a third party.
- Participation. The role of individuals in the governance process, from representation in government advisory groups to participation in local development projects.
- Education or promotion of any issues related to certain groups of society.
- Community service seeks to achieve two important results:
- Helps in building a stable and cohesive society.
- Supplements services are provided by the government.
In this type of activity, a person's motivation is very important. As a volunteer, he must understand that he will participate in any projects:
- without payment, but with preliminary training and education;
- to the best of his ability, but not below his abilities;
- of their own free will and in cooperation with other people.
Conclusion
Motivation is what pushes people to take action by their needs. Often the motivation for altruistic help is the need to connect with other people to be a part of the community that you care about. Community service meets the natural need to be a member of a group whose values and goals the person can fully meet.