The Importance of Service to Others

April’s Developmental Asset of the Month is #9 “Service to Others.”  Community service, volunteering, and service learning do more than allow youth to help the community—these activities also provide youth with the positive experiences, relationships, and connections that help them thrive. Research shows that the developmental asset of service to others results in higher academic performance, increased self-esteem, reduced incidence of depression, better problem-solving skills, and increased community involvement as an adult.

51% of Palo Alto high school students report participating in service to others.  To help raise awareness of the importance of this developmental asset, April is “Service to Others” month in Silicon Valley.

One reason that youth may not serve is the perception that their assistance isn’t welcomed—a Gallup poll found that adolescents were four times more likely to volunteer and help out in the community if they were asked, but only half of a national sample of youth reported that adults asked them to help out. Youth gain the greatest benefit from service programs that enable them to “do” instead of observe; to work with supportive adults; to demonstrate responsibility, to explore their own interests and ideas, and to reflect on the meaning of their activities.

We have great resources locally to help our youth get plugged in to community service opportunities. 

• Youth Community Service [http://www.youthcommunityservice.org/] or YCS.  YCS programs engage youth in community service activities that promote increased awareness of the needs of their communities and the development of individual community service self-efficacy, and positive emotional and behavioral health, and YCS offers training for educators and community-based organizations on the methods for developing and implementing high quality service learning programs.
• Gunn and Palo Alto High Schools facilitate community service opportunities for their students.  See these sites to get started:
  • http://www.gunnatyourservice.org/
  • http://paly.net/service/

Here are some ideas that can be implemented today:

• At mealtime, share your recent community service activities with your family. This discussion demonstrates that your family values service, enables you to role-model community service, and opens a discussion about ways to help in the community.

• Have a family meeting to consider the idea of a family service project, and make sure that everyone participates regardless of their age. Have everyone list their volunteer activities to see if others are interested in helping, and talk about additional causes that each member would like to support.

• Create youth-oriented volunteer opportunities that are diverse in the amount of time, energy, and expertise required. To make sure that youth get the most out of the experience, provide adequate training and make sure that the youth understand how their efforts will make a difference.

• When seeking volunteers, don’t just reach out to the high-achieving youth in leadership programs! Young people from all backgrounds deserve the opportunity to experience the benefits of service.

• Be sure to affirm and recognize the efforts of all the youth who serve.

This article was developed with materials provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone’s Asset-a-Month program. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.