By: Julie Ford
Concorde Career College
Today's society has become so complacent with money, career, and material things. We are too busy to stop and realize what is right in front of us. We seem so busy with daily life we fail to realize that our elderly loved ones need things that they can no longer do for themselves. Therefore I believe if we start instilling these qualities in our youth we, as a community, will begin to see more respectful, better morals, and compassionate adults in the community, world and country.
Youth community volunteering should be a requirement in order to graduate High School. Statistics show that there are several benefits to youth volunteering in the community. According to research the benefits reaped by the young people offering their service have a positive impact on them personally both immediate and into the future. Those who volunteer at least an hour or more a week are 50% less likely to abuse alcohol, cigarettes, become pregnant, or engage in other destructive behavior. These are benefits given by teens: learning to respect others; learning to be helpful and kind; learning to understand people who are different; developing leadership skills, becoming more patient, and better understanding of citizenship. Here are just a few of the benefits to come in the future: young people involved in community service are more likely to have a strong work ethic as an adult; youth who volunteer are three times more likely to volunteer as adults; 81% of Americans who have volunteer experiences when they are young give to charitable organizations as adults; youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate and