Volunteerism in Communities Fellowship, neighbors, and solidarity are just a few of the words that come to mind when thinking about community. Communities thrive on togetherness and support, and the best way to ensure the flourishing of these concepts is to get involved within the neighborhoods, towns, or communities that we live in. In his writing, “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Robert Putnam discusses the connection between social capital and community engagement. Putnam defines social capital as, “…features of social organization such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefits” (Putnam 182). He addresses the idea that community engagement is vital in increasing …show more content…
These critics argue that volunteer work is the government’s disguised attempt to lessen their responsibilities within communities (412). To combat this argument Dunlap and Stukas suggest, “Such criticism often fails to recognize that, in many cases, community involvement can provide tangible benefits for the individuals, communities, and societies…” (413). When everyone works together for the common good of the community, everyone benefits from this; the individual, the community, and the society. Not only does the engagement within the community build the social capital, but it also builds trust amongst the neighbors. When there is trust, there is fellowship, and fellowship paves the path to flourishment. The authors also point out that the government is already searching for ways to diminish their role in the social services they provide, regardless if there are volunteer organizations in place or not. Therefore, volunteer work allows communities to be self-sufficient, despite continued government assistance or lack thereof (413). Another critic brought to light that forcing people to engage in volunteer work may reduce intrinsic motivation to participate in community service in the future. However, just as the authors say, involving the free choice of the participants to partake in the classes …show more content…
There are many implications of volunteer work being coerced by the government. One of the many factors affected by the government’s involvement, is the decrease in motivation that individuals possess. “What is necessary to understand is that specifically motivated citizens can assign themselves to areas with high or low government engagement depending on what motivates them to volunteer” (Surva and Tonurist 241). Due to everyone having their own motivational factors for certain volunteer work, states have a limited number of people to pull from in regards to certain volunteer work that needs to be done. Surva and Tonurist state: “Thus, the government is on a narrow tightrope between trying to secure the maximal performance from volunteers- especially volunteer firefighters- and widening the responsibilities too far, and thus, demotivating their partners” (242). Some specific examples of the requirements that the government mandates are: allotting a certain number of hours per week at a volunteer organization, partaking in unpaid training, obtaining certifications, and the list goes on (242). When making the decision to volunteer, it is vital for the individual to understand the reason for the government’s coercion and involvement, despite their frustrations. The extra responsibilities that
Social Capital refers to the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling the society to function effectively. This term is essential to become successful in life. Another factor that can affect an individual is mindsets; this is the established set of attitudes held by someone. The book, The other Wes Moore and the documentary All the Difference both are inspired by the author Wes Moore and his mother Joy Moore. It explores the struggles between two young African American men and their different path in life.
Why is being in a community so important? Being in a community is so important because everyone needs a shoulder to lean on. Everyone needs a person they can talk about their problems to. In the story The Outsiders ,written by S.E Hinton, tells the story of a boy named Ponyboy who’s parents died in a car accident, who is having trouble fitting into the gang he is in.
In his article “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital”, Robert D. Putnam argues that America’s once vibrant civil society has dissolved. This article was written in 1995. Putnam feels that there is a growing sense of civic disengagement and civic distrust. Putnam makes bold claims and supports them with statistics from studies and polls. An example of this is the data he provides about the decline in organized bowling leagues.
Summer brought a conclusion to AP exams, AP and Honors classes, and Swim Team. Although I grateful for the much deserved break, I had an overwhelming urge to become an active member for my community. I knew I needed to obtain my mark in the world in a special way during the summer large-scale or not. However, I never thought I would volunteer at a food bank. As an acutely withdrawn and self-conscious person, I’d much rather prefer to assist out behind the scenes, as a dutiful background member.
Kristin Bates introduces collective efficacy, “Social cohesion among neighbors that is characterized by efforts to make positive changes in their neighborhoods”(125). This edition of disorganization theory best fits for the three points made by the young people in their letters to the Chicago Times because it illustrates the community reaching out and seeking help in order to make a safe environment in their community. The original disorganization theory states, “Remember, some social disorganization theorists originally believed that social disorganization was simply a stage of a community’s life that would resolve itself and become organized in time” (Bates, Pg. 130). By adding Robert Sampson 's collective efficacy to the original theory, the theory of social disorganize makes a stronger connection between the three points that the young people made in their letters to the Chicago Times regarding their research on their
I believe community is an important aspect to all our lives. Community builds character and, in some cases, defines who we are. There are different forms of community, such as “community standards” and “community action”, that ultimately bring individuals together whether they agree or disagree with one another. In his book Our Divided Political Heart, E.J. Dionne discusses what community is and its significance to society. Through my writing, I would like to specifically talk about “community action”, “community standards” and “community policing”.
Speaking to Richard’s mother, I encouraged her participation in activities, where both she and her son could bond. They did several activities together, and slowly a genuine smile began forming on Richard 's face. By the end of the summer, I had a different perspective on communal change. Communities as a whole consist of distinct individuals, many desiring to see change; change, which can be started by a single person impacting another 's actions. Richard’s family was my avenue into that process.
Says: Dave Eggers states that no one would want to receive service work from someone who’s forced to do so. Does: Eggers questions the readers. Para. 12. Says: Eggers feels as though volunteering is a natural feeling of wanting to help others.
“There are many costs to modern society…but the most dangerous loss may be the community,” wrote Sebastian Junger in his book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. The genius of Junger reveals that even with all of its benefits, modern society will crumble from lack of a community experience. “The beauty and the tragedy of the modern world is that it eliminates many situations that require people to demonstrate a commitment to the collective good,” he writes.
Society is fooled into believing in the applied connection among people. Benedict Anderson’s idea of imagined communities emphasizes that, “… the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion” (5). Members of neighborhoods, cities, states, or countries feel a sense of unity with other members for living in the same place or maybe having the same basic values, but true unity comes from understanding the similarities among each other, considering the impact a person can have on another, and caring about lives. Recognizing the importance of lives being socially intertwined is necessary to sustain a considerate society.
Even though generosity is a virtue, installing this sense of charity can actually lead to the people who are doing the volunteer work to feel like they are superior to those they are
The feeling one gets after doing something good for others around us is not explainable, but it sure helps us feel more human and develop a better view of the things around us, what if children and youth where exposed to the same feeling, in my opinion children and youth will start participating more and more in community service projects to feel that they did something for the community. Charity work should not be mandatory and people should not have community service requirements to graduate, get a job or have a scholarship. The feeling of doing good is simply washed away when charity works becomes mandatory, youth who want to volunteer will do more but those who are not really interested will have a negative idea for volunteering and community service. The problem is that many schools, institutes and universities around the world use the mandatory community service for graduation. For example the university I study in has mandatory 80 hours of community service to get your final
While it is good to minister to each other’s needs, it is also vitally important to serve the community. If we do
Final Reflection Paper This course “Unpacking the Flourishing Community” was filled with many different elements including but not limited to the Tragedy of the Commons, the Prisoner’s Dilemma, the Logic of Collective Action, Design Principles, Goodman’s 5 tenants, and Obama’s Aristotelianism. The incorporation of different perspectives and ideas enabled me to understand the idea of community and the importance of it in ways I have never thought of before. It provided me with insight and strategies that were previously applied in many different communities around the world, but also helped me understand how they can be related to our personal communities. The community leader that I interviewed is Noor Jemy, one of the organizers of SHAMS clinic.
According to Forbes, the volunteer programs currently in place “improve employee morale, develop leadership skills and enhance your recruitment efforts” (Stinson). All these