March 4th, 2010
More and more students at today’s universities are breaking free of the stereotypes society has for them as being a bunch of lazy partiers and are doing their part to give back to their college and its surrounding community by volunteering their time in a number of ways. In fact, volunteerism in college has risen steeply in recent years, with the number of college students who volunteer growing more than 20 percent between 2002 and 2005, according to a report by the Associated Press. This remarkable growth rate of volunteerism among college students is more than double the rate of all volunteers, the report said. The Corporation for National & Community Service reported at the time that this phenomenal growth began its spike after the Sept. 11 attacks and suggested "the possible emergence of a new civic generation."
More recent government data on volunteering in America has shown that 441,000 more young adults between the ages of 16-24 volunteered in 2008 than in 2007. This includes the 18-24 age group that encompasses the majority of college students. The struggling economy did not dampen this volunteerism, even as charitable giving decreased.
So what are some ways these college students are giving their time? Some of them get involved with organized groups, religious and otherwise, on campus that coordinate efforts to meet the needs of the community and get students motivated. Sometimes, this is as simple as helping freshman students move into their new dorms or manning booths to encouraging their fellow college students to register to vote. Other times, volunteering is more involved, like mentoring children at neighboring K-12 schools, helping out at soup kitchens and homeless shelters, and repairing the homes of the elderly or disabled.
Many colleges even have massive community service days where the university’s staff volunteer coordinator identifies a large number of volunteer opportunities in the community and recruits huge numbers of students to tackle each one of them. These one-day events are so popular at some universities that volunteers have even been turned away! An example of one of the many schools that hold these volunteer days every year is Tulane University (click here to read more). Tulane students get the chance to clean up neighborhoods, build playgrounds, paint schools and much more.
College students who care about the needs of both the college and its surrounding community should consider volunteering their time to a worthy cause while in college.
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