By Katie Poe, Backpage Editor
As the spring weather welcomes students outside once again, an influx of service project opportunities have begun to pop up around the Georgetown College campus. For example, the GC Honors Program is hosting a community-wide cleanup this weekend, and the Alpha Lamda Delta Honors Society recently hosted a blanket-making service event.
While service projects may appear, at face value, to benefit others, there are several surprising ways in which taking advantage of service opportunities can help students advance themselves on their self-exploration journeys.
Students are attracted to service projects for a multitude of reasons. One GC student, who plans to volunteer at an upcoming service event testified that their primary motivation to volunteer was based on their sorority’s participation requirement. However, they were hopeful to make new friendships at the service event.
Indeed, at its surface, service work can absolutely help students forge valuable connections. With these friendships, students can both expand their horizons and create support networks that will help them when they stumble. However, while relationships are valuable, the benefits of volunteering go much further than social connections alone.
For many students, service projects can help students gain a new perspective about their own lives. One GC student said that volunteering made them consider the opportunities other people had in comparison to the privileges that the student possessed. The student admitted that they often overlooked their position of privilege, and helping those in need made them more grateful and self-aware of the privileges they had.
Admittedly, service opportunities can expose students to new perceptions of their lives that they may not have realized before. As this student described, volunteering may help students learn to recognize and be more appreciative of the blessings in their lives. This self-awareness is an excellent ability to have, as it can promote a degree of mindfulness that is immensely beneficial in building one’s self-understanding.
Further, these skills can help students build empathy with those who do not share the same opportunities as themselves. When students practice empathy, they may be more likely to show compassion, grace, patience and understanding towards themselves and others.
Lastly, volunteering can help students cultivate valuable leadership skills that have implications that carry over to students’ self-discovery journeys. As students learn how to guide others and grow as leaders in volunteering environments, they may develop their self-confidence and raise their self esteem. When students become more comfortable in themselves and their abilities, they may feel confident enough to aim higher and be more aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Volunteering can help students cultivate and discover skills that will help them immensely in learning more about themselves and their place in the world. For these reasons and more, students are encouraged to take part in the array of service activities being offered around campus and in the surrounding community.
For more information about current service projects around the Georgetown College campus, students are encouraged to contact Dr. Caliesha Comley or visit the Georgetown College Center for Civic Engagement in Giddings Hall.
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