I must say I have done an extensive amount of volunteer work. I volunteered at the library, helped at several elementary schools, helped the church secretary, and even tutored people for free instead of at my usual rate of $15 an hour. God, I'm such a wonderful person!
Does volunteering really make anyone that great? Seriously, who cares? I volunteered for all those things because I had to. Not because I'm a great person.
And furthermore the reason I had to was for stupid school clubs and organizations. I swear those are the biggest scams. You have to pay dues, and then you have to go help volunteer at the nursing home with the handsy old men or go help tutor the little children in the elementary schools. It's like a new form of slavery. They could hire people to do these things, but no they can make kids join clubs and then make them do it. Some of you may be thinking that you don't have to join these clubs, but in order to get into college, you have to be well-rounded right? And if you aren't at least in the basic clubs like national honors society and beta club, then you must not care at all.
Why is volunteering so great? I don't understand the motivation behind trying to get everyone to volunteer. It seems a bit contradictory to the capitalistic values we all know and love. Is it to get us to be better people, because personally I hate having to log all the volunteering I do. And the only people that volunteer at these places are people doing community service or honors students. It's a strange mix and an awkward situation to be put in.
Why is it that everyone is trying to use volunteering as a way to make us "better" people?
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If I'd only known volunteering leads to as many scholarships as it does, I would have volunteered a whole lot - which is entirely the wrong reason to volunteer and rather defeats the purpose.
There shouldn't be monetary rewards like scholarships for volunteering - it should come from the heart or not at all. It certainly doesn't show that a person is socially conscious if they're doing it for the scholarships, which seems to be what the scholarship organizations are looking for in the first place!
I don't think volunteering will in any way make me a better person. I volunteer for others. Many organizations to not have the financial means to hire people, so they rely on volunteers to keep their heads above water. Many organizations are extremely grateful for their volunteers because they are sacrificing their own time to try and do something positive for their communities. I guess some people actually care about the world and the people who inhabit it.
I do have a couple of questions for you, however - if you hate it so much, why do you do it? I doubt anyone is literally twisting your arm. You didn't have to join those school clubs that involved volunteer projects.... Also, how is not giving a damn about the world around you in the least bit progressive?
I agree that the scholarships should not just be about that ... it's unfair ... I mean it's about the reason you volunteer and if it's for clubs and such it's stupid
You know, I think it's really great that these clubs incorporate community service as part of the membership. They are just trying to make us better people. Sometimes even if you do join a club or do volunteer for the wrong reasons (scholarships/money/etc) it does end up changing you a little for the better. Volunteering helps you see the world outside of yourself. Instead of the world just being about me, me, me, we get to focus on society as a whole and actually make a positive difference. This is what's going to help us move forward as a society. Caring about others and the world you live in is okay and it benefits you in the long run too. I really hope that these volunteering projects are helping you get a better perspective on where you are and the kind of person that you can be. It's great that you are volunteering (even if it's not for the right reason), and you should continue to do so...Helping others (no matter the reason for it) is better than not helping them...
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/arhipgeo86
If you dislike volunteering so much, why don't you volunteer for something you're actually interested in? I give roughly 10 hours a week on this site, completely my own time. And that's just the stuff I log, not including just being on the site and such. Why do I do it? Because I enjoy it. I quit my other volunteering position because it was just stressing me out too much... I was literally getting sick last semester, partially because I felt obligated to do this volunteer activity. So I stopped, and I'll go back doing something else when I turn 21, or work someplace else all together.
~C
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I have done some volunteering I enjoy. It's just when you're in clubs that require you to go to specific places and volunteer, that I have a problem with. For instance for NHS, you either go help at a local elementary school where you are supposed to be helping tutor but really you end up grading for teachers and doing bulletin boards... or you help at the old folks home... I mean I like volunteering for things like 30 hour famine and canned food drives and stuff like that, but going to grade for teachers really doesn't seem like volunteering to me because it doesn't really benefit anyone much, because without us, it would still get done
Personally, I think volunteering is a great thing to do. Not only do you help yourself, but you help others as well. Volunteering does look good when you apply for colleges, but you should do it for yourself, not just because you want it to look good on college apps.
I have volunteered a couple of times when I have the time, and I enjoy it, but that's just me. I'm not even in a club that requires to volunteer. But I will be in NHS next year, and the only reason why I wanted to be in it is because you volunteer around the community, and I think that's great.
If you don't like to volunteer, it's ok, because it's not for everybody.
Sometimes we volunteer for the wrong reasons but still at the end we get to benefit out of that. I enjoy volunteering and even if its for the wrong reason, I do it whole heartedly knowing that someone is going to benefit or be thankful.Even though the organizations are making you do it, when you volunteer keep in mind that you are helping someone whom you might make a difference for example when you tutor besides when you do something good it always come back to you.
*shiko*