Category: Community Service

1. Understand the organization as an entity

1.1 Describe the legal entity of the organization you work for and the implication of that legal entity on the structure and management of your organization

As I work for the borough of Havering, which would be classed as public sector. The public sector can be defined as a part of our country’s economy in which the government can control and support financially as the government provides a range of services to the public (Collinsdictionary.com, 2019). A legal entity can be defined as an association or corporation for example that can enter into agreements, and contracts, incur and pay debts but also sue others or be sued within its rights as they are held responsible for their actions (BusinessDictionary.com, 2019).

I work for Havering Council, which is a public sector organization that is government-funded. The legal entity for the council that I work for is that we can enter into agreements for example as Housing Solutions officers when conducting assessments clients may agree to let us contact solicitors and doctors to gain information. Clients also sign contracts with housing agents when we find privately rented properties and I would sign a contract that states I as a Housing solutions officer of Havering Council agree to pay the deposit and one month’s rent.

I think there are many implications of the legal entity on the structure as within my team when investigating homelessness clients may go get advice which solicitors may not find out decisions fair and decision to take the council to court for our homelessness decision made. This can be very damaging for both the council and team as our managers and the director of housing may be notified of such and this is a very complex situation as the homelessness department may believe they have done what is right.

The structure of the organization is tall as mainly only the housing solutions officer interacts with clients the managers only interact if there is a major issue, which is due to the structure of management.

1.2 Describe the operational functions within your organization

Marketing is a great way to push ideas to the community. It is the marketing responsibility to aid the development and delivery plan, which also helps with functional strategy. (Essexcc.taleo.net, 2019) Marketing is extremely important when marketing and pushing ideas to the community.

Finance in which governments play a vital role in providing public services. The local government looks at spending which helps the distribution of resources in the public sector in housing. The council can charge for services but it isn’t desirable spending can be taken from local general revenue, loans, or grants from the government. (Financing local government, 2019)

Production –

1.3 Identify your role, a span of control, and reporting line in your organization using an organizational chart to illustrate

My role is to take emergency appointments and the pre-evictions and provide final decisions to implement the new Homeless Reduction Act. My role is normally the front line of emergency services therefore I must provide urgent help and assistance for members of our community most in need. If someone is due to become homeless within the next week or so, I will book them in to have an assessment and see what I can do to prevent homelessness which includes negotiating with Landlords and estate agents, applying for DHP, or using money from the prevention fund to stop eviction taking place and clearing arrears. We must complete personal housing plans that reflect the customer’s needs and aspirations also focusing on their strengths to enable them to work with us to either prevent or relieve their homelessness. We work with the private rented sector to find homes for people in need.

I think my role has a lot of control as I have to do personal housing plans for my clients and independent investigations into how they became homeless or why they may become homeless soon and then try to prevent it, find privately rented accommodation for the client or refer to social services if could be intentionally homeless.

As a Housing Solutions Officer, I work as a homelessness officer. I report to the Housing solutions manager for Homelessness and reviews and the senior housing solutions officer for homelessness. As you can see below the Housing demands service manager also manages 5 different departments in housing. There are also 5 managers managing each of those 5 departments. I work as a housing solutions officer in the Homeless team. I have edited the structure of the chart found on the Havering intranet to show how many officers there are per role and excluded names.

1.4 Describe the roles and responsibilities of managers at different levels in your organization

The Director of Housing is in a position to find affordable housing for people in need in the community. To also instruct and supervise staff, deal with other local governmental agencies, and create plans that will contribute positively to the growth of the community while setting financial budgets. They must a lot provide proof of finances, and measure the policies are followed. They deal with major issues surrounding maintenance issues, Lawyers, and Contractors.

As Housing Demand Service managers, they manage the daily operation of the Housing Demand Division. To have the ability to acquire and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of the services delivered within Housing Demand, to lead projects, and to contribute to the vision through the Corporate Plan and strategies of housing and homelessness. To be responsible for managing a team. Ensure the Division and staff are following housing regulations by maintaining knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Housing Act 1996, Part VI and VII, the Homelessness Reduction Act, and the Localism Act 2011. To ensure that services are delivered cost-effectively, without unnecessary expenditure or cost, and by maximizing income also updating all financial records including monitoring and managing budgeting. Ensure complaints and FOIs are completed and risks and threats are identified which could affect the reputation of the council. (Lbealli.webitrent.com, 2019)

The manager of Housing solutions homelessness and reviews:

To deliver emergency homelessness services and ensure assistance is provided to those in temporary accommodation and ensure a consistent process is followed to provide support. To work with other agencies like Probation, and prison to provide services to address homelessness and offer alternative solutions and support. To carry out customer reviews to vulnerable people who may have been homeless or have a history of failing tenancies. To ensure advice, guidance, and signpost to other agencies, like mental health and social care professionals. To manage the budget for Homelessness services.

The senior housing solutions officer is responsible for providing leadership and appropriate management, guidance, and mentoring to the team. It is essential they set goals and achieve targets, including monitoring staff development for example managing sickness and absence, 1-1 supervision, 6-month reviews, and annual appraisal

1.5 Explain the relevance to your organization of its different stakeholders

Clients who are homeless and maybe about to be homeless come to my organization for help as they might not be able to afford the cost to get into a privately rented property or be able to pass all the criteria of an estate agent to get a property. This is good as we can help people in our community.

Shelters are important stakeholders as they look at equality and human rights in housing. They value diversity and want to ensure everyone in need can access services, which sometimes means challenging the council. Often they provide housing law advice for housing applications to help clients. (Shelter – PROMOTING EQUALITY, VALUING DIVERSITY, 2019)

Social services are an extremely important stakeholder. We often complete referrals to social services for them to help accommodate families with children under 18 years old. They also work with us to support families. (Citizensadvice.org.uk, 2019)

Local government – Stakeholders which can be directors and government agencies can affect an organization’s plan, objectives, and policies as they look at the business and resources available to maximize the positive outcomes for the community. They are a key stakeholder.

Benefits teams can affect clients both positively and negatively. The benefits team tries to help people on low incomes to apply for benefits and award them depending on what category they fall in (GOV.UK, 2019). They encourage people back into work or signpost them to relevant organizations which can help individuals. They play a major role within my organization as they supply us with information to help us investigate homelessness and also help us to prevent homelessness.

The present text explores the Nazareth Living Center as well as its employment opportunities. Nazareth Living Center is a Catholic, nonprofit community for elders that offers independent senior living apartments, assisted living, as well as skilled nursing care. It is a large facility with a hundred and twenty-one beds and has corporate ownership. It participates in Medicare and Medicaid and is a part of a continuing care retirement community. The facility also provides twenty-four hours awake staff as well as doctors on call. It provides excellent healthcare, vision, and dental insurance. Nazareth Living Center works hard to make sure they are always giving their residents the best. The changes hoped to see in the future are improving residents’ safety by being more focused on falls, adding fitness programs, adding an Alzheimer`s unit providing more entertainment, and encouraging patients to be more active and engaged in activities.

Nazareth Living Center is a Catholic, nonprofit community for elders that offers independent senior living apartments, assisted living, as well as skilled nursing care. It is located in the South County of St Louis. S. (n.d.). Homepage. The history begins with the Sisters of St. Joseph who came to St. Louis in 1836 from France. They were invited by St. Louis Bishop Joseph Rosati and were asked to establish a school for the deaf. The sisters also became engaged in a lot of services such as health care, education, child care, counseling, social services, etc. Today they are known as Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

In 1872, The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet began their mission at Nazareth as a home for retired sisters who needed help. To this day the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are still active in the Nazareth Community. On July 1, 2009, the Sisters of St. Louis and the Benedictine Health System of Duluth, Minn., entered into a ministry partnership. There was an agreement to operate Nazareth Living Center and provide holistic care for people of all faiths, races social and economic backgrounds. Interestingly, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have served a world in need for more than 350 years, located in the United States, Japan, Peru, and Chile.

Today, Nazareth Living Center is a nonprofit community for seniors that includes new independent living buildings and a variety of residential care services such as assisted living. Assisted living includes things like helping with activities of daily living such as bathing, eating, and dressing. Also, this includes housekeeping and laundry as well as medication reminders and recreational activities. It is a large facility with a hundred twenty-one beds and has corporate ownership. It participates in Medicare and Medicaid and is a part of a continuing care retirement community. The facility also provides 24-hour awake staff as well as doctors on call.

As I visited this facility many times, what I found that attracts me to this type of facility is that working at Nazareth Living Center seems like coworkers work as a team. Also, it seems like coworkers are like one big family. Another thing is that the American Health Care Association recently awarded Nazareth Living Center with its Silver National Quality Award. This is the only skilled nursing facility in the St. Louis Metropolitan area to achieve this recognition and just one of ten facilities in the entire state of Missouri which is pretty awesome. Employment at Nazareth Living Center | St Louis MO. (2019, April 5). It provides excellent healthcare, vision, and dental insurance. Also, tuition assistance and career advancement opportunities are available as well as competitive wages.

When it comes to drawbacks, one thing I am concerned with about working at this type of facility is that Nazareth Living Center recently got a new management staff. This new management is set to identify dysfunctional aspects of workflow, procedures, structures, and systems and to redesign them to improve this organization. When management is changed like in this case, tensions often start among the employees. The question is whether their jobs are safe, or are they going to be replaced by someone else, or in the worst case will they be replaced for good? Well, in this case, few people are not employed here anymore, and I wonder why.

Most of the time, the new leaders make good contributions to companies because they have a new approach to the same old problems. The fresh new approaches can benefit the customers as well as employees. However, I still believe this facility is a good employment opportunity. Also, a good friend of mine has been working at Nazareth Living Center and she told me that Nazareth supports learning and development on the job and rewards your hard work.

The things I would like to see improve or the things I would like to change/add in the future at Nazareth Living Center are to focus more on senior falls, add fitness programs, add more entertainment, and have an Alzheimer’s unit. K. T. (Ed.). (2015, September 10) “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10% to 20% of falls in senior care settings cause serious injuries, and 2% to 6% cause fractures”.

With new technology, I believe that we could lower senior falls or at least prevent them better. Murray, C. (2017, December 07) Things like a wearable sensor can monitor heartbeat, and breathing patterns, and they can send this information to caregivers and tell you if there’s a change in normal patterns. Also, they can alert in case of an emergency or other problem. Another thing, I would like to see is a fitness program.

Although Nazareth Living Center has rehabilitation, I believe it would be beneficial to have residents stay active. Not only will the residents feel more entertained, but it’s common for elders to slow down and this can raise risks like serious falls and even increase the risk of a heart attack. Staying on the move can help protect against these health hazards and it can benefit their muscles and strength. Beyond bingo, which is played at this facility, I would add more fun activities for residents. Outdoor excursions, karaoke, magician shows, singers, comedy shows, etc. Depression and loneliness are common among seniors at any senior home but I believe the things I mentioned would be helpful and I believe this facility lacks them.

Some senior homes have a separate part of the building that is designated for those who have Alzheimer’s and need special care, Nazareth doesn’t have it but it’s working on it. Special Care Units are designed to meet the specific needs of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. I believe Nazareth should have units for people with dementia and who need some help with daily. Stlcallnews. (2017, March 01). “This new facility builds upon our almost two decades of expertise in providing compassionate, individualized memory care in a faith-based environment for those who are in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease who also need assistance with activities of daily living”. This unit would have to have staff who would check on and care for people with Alzheimer’s disease at this facility.

In conclusion, I would consider working at Nazareth Living Center. I think it is very important to have senior living facilities like Nazareth well-run and well-kept. Willing to care for the elderly generation is kind of repaying them for all of the work that they did for us, the younger generation when we needed help, and is a very rewarding feeling. I believe working in a senior home with people who lived and have gained so much knowledge from living for so long is generous. Nazareth provides a good work environment and a comprehensive benefits package.

Community service is people who are willing to help others. People with the ability should help those in need. Nowadays, community service is very important to society. This is because people can understand the current situation of society and give back to society through community service. If the company or school does not hold some community service, people now only live in the online world and lose communication between people. If have any community service, people can enhance their social responsibility and social adaptability. Community service cannot only pro the society but also cultivate the sentiment and beautify the soul. We should voluntarily participate in activities for the public good instead of waiting for the company or school to hold community service.

There are many street sleepers in this century who have experienced some things and become street sleepers. Some of them are abandoned, homeless, and poor economics. This causes them to become street sleepers. Some street sleepers have no fixed homes, and they still need to eat other people’s leftover food or find food in the trash can. When it rains, they can only go to nearby tents to shelter from the rain. Some will leave long hair to cover their faces to avoid people can identifying who they are. They have lost their dignity and have fallen to this point.

When they become street sleepers, they have lost their motivation. They need people to push them to reface their lives. I hope that I am this person to encourage because can promote them is a good sense of accomplishment. If I hold community service about helping street sleepers, I hope volunteers can help street sleepers cut their hair so they don’t cover their faces with long hair. This is because I hope street sleepers can face it lightly. Therefore, volunteers can help find sponsors to sponsor some lunches regularly so that we can distribute them to them and they won’t feel hungry. Not only that, but volunteers can also help some capable street sleepers find jobs to make them return to existence. Let them cheer up and earn money on their own. Lastly, volunteers can chit-chat with street sleepers talk about the current situation, and counsel street sleepers.

In addition, volunteers contribute to society regardless of age, and they can get a lot of benefits through community service. For example, volunteers are students. They can learn knowledge other than textbooks. They can feel society in advance, experience society and consciously discover the beauty of life. It can even train students’ practical ability to increase students’ communication with the outside world to prevent students from living in the world of books. Volunteers are students, they can visit old folks’ homes, orphanages, disability centers, and so on. Students can try to carry out some activities with them such as singing, chit-chat, and cleaning at there. So that, they will feel happy because someone is accompanying them to entertain.

Volunteers are a company that can serve the community in the name of the company. This also makes people feel very good about this company, not only that people trust the company. Companies can host charitable events for the public or donate to the poor or needy helpers on behalf of the company. For example, the company sells milk and can provide 50 bottles of milk per day to children in poor areas. This is also a contribution to society. So that, children in poor areas will be very grateful because the company provides their daily breakfast and give them a wonderful morning.

The biggest difference is that volunteers can make society more loving. This is due to the reason that volunteers are willing to help society to help the helpless person, it will make the people in need feel very warm. People in the current society are very indifferent, if everyone is a volunteer, it will make this society full of love and warmth. So volunteers are very important in this society.

In my two cents, I believe that school should require their students to perform community service because students can establish a correct outlook on life and values. If students do not participate in community service, they will not feel how happy they are, have the love of their parents, and have a comfortable environment to live in. So they will have some inspiration and thoughts when they participate in community service. For instance, when they encounter setbacks, they will not give up and actively face the problem. And now the company is more concerned with the character than the individual’s academic performance. A person’s academic performance is good, but the character is bad totally the person is not good. The most important thing is people must have a good attitude.

Hence, schools can allow members of the uniformed group to organize community service activities for students and encourage them to participate. This is because students can also meet new friends while helping people. This will make them know how to communicate with each other. Besides, schools can hold seminars about the benefit of participating in community services. For example, instructors can let students with community service experience share their feeling and motivate people to try. Allowing students to learn more about community services allows them to participate willingly. In addition, the school can also require students to organize community service with classmates, they can learn about organizing skills, planning skills, and leading skills. This will be a great help for their future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no matter what age, people should take responsibility to give back to society because society is everyone’s supposed to protect us together. In addition, parents should take responsibility to teach their children to respect others from time to time, and everyone and every profession should be respected. Parents should also set an example for children to learn. As the saying goes, like father like son. Community service has many benefits for everyone. When we help others, we will be happy. The joy cannot be purchased with money. We should communicate more with people than with others in the online world.

Community service is a rewarding experience that helps build stronger, more connected communities. By dedicating our time and resources to benefit our neighbors and those in need, we can have a positive and lasting impact on our local areas. From aiding the homeless to preserving natural landscapes, community service provides an opportunity for individuals to give back and make a difference in their community.

In this essay, we will explore the importance of community service, its benefits, and ways individuals can get involved in their communities.

The Benefits of Community Service

There are many reasons why community service is essential. One of the primary benefits is the positive impact it can have on the community. By volunteering our time and resources to help others, we can make a significant difference in the lives of those around us. Whether we are helping to feed the hungry, providing support to those in need, or simply cleaning up our neighborhoods, we are contributing to the overall well-being of our communities.

Furthermore, community service can provide individuals with valuable skills and experiences that can be useful in both personal and professional settings. Volunteering can help individuals develop new skills, such as leadership, communication, and problem-solving, as well as improve existing ones. These skills can be particularly valuable for students and young professionals who are just starting out in their careers.

In addition, community service can be a great way to meet new people and build social connections. By volunteering with local organizations, individuals can meet others who share their interests and values, and develop meaningful relationships with people from all walks of life. This can be particularly beneficial for those who are new to an area or who are looking to expand their social circle.

Research has also shown that community service can have a positive impact on mental and physical health. Studies have found that volunteering can reduce stress, improve mood, and even increase life expectancy. Furthermore, volunteering can provide individuals with a sense of purpose and fulfillment, which can be particularly important for those who may be struggling with depression or anxiety.

How to Get Involved in Community Service and Make a Difference in Your Community

One of the best ways to get involved in community service is to identify an area of interest and find a local organization or group that aligns with those interests. For example, if you are passionate about environmental issues, you might consider volunteering with a local conservation group or participating in a neighborhood cleanup. Similarly, if you want to work with children, consider volunteering with a youth program or tutoring service.

Another way to get involved in community service is to simply reach out to your neighbors and community members and ask how you can help. Often, we can do small, everyday things to help others, such as offering to walk a neighbor’s dog or mowing a neighbor’s lawn. These small acts of kindness can significantly impact the people around us and help build stronger, more connected communities.

There are also many benefits to participating in organized community service events, such as charity walks, food drives, or clean-up efforts. These events can be a great way to meet new people, build social connections, and feel like a part of a larger movement. Additionally, participating in these events can help to raise awareness about important issues and inspire others to get involved.

It’s important to remember that community service doesn’t have to be a big, elaborate effort. Even small acts of kindness can make a significant impact on the people around us. By volunteering our time and resources to help others, we can help to create a more compassionate and supportive world for all.

Conclusion

To sum up, volunteering our time and resources to help others is an integral part of building stronger, more connected communities. Community service provides many benefits, including a positive impact on the community, the development of skills and experiences, the chance to create social connections, and potential improvement in mental and physical well-being. Organized events or small acts of kindness offer us all the opportunity to give back and make a positive contribution to our communities and the world at large. With a commitment to recognizing the power of community service and taking action to get involved, we can make a significant difference in creating a more compassionate world for everyone.

According to my opinion I would like to start the proceedings of this essay by highlighting some of the important areas along with other relevant information which will be clearly illustrated with further explanations which is included in this particular essay. Specifically, the primary objective of this essay is to focus into the strengths and weaknesses of the community organizations in a management perspective. And ways in which they can be contrasted with private and public sector organizations in terms of the ways in which those organizations function and their structure.

When considering (Nicholson, 2014) clearly illustrates some of the ways in which the community sector would try to shape up in the future by trying to look at some problems which were amongst the local community along with how each and every individual was trying to make a change within the local community, where they believed that this was something which was absolutely essential and each and every one of them had felt that this could be looked as a need rather than a want. And also according to (Nicholson, 2014) has also stated that each and every individual who carries out several discussions with regards to this issues which will eventually being carried out in the form of an action, where they will be trying to focus on the young generation within the local area by ensuring that they have been provided with proper living conditions and also ensure that no one has been left homeless at any stage, because it is considered as a major problem which arose within the community where several youth were been stranded within the community with insufficient living conditions. Due to such considerations each and every individual within the community was eventually seeking for different solutions to all such problems which are faced among the community.

On the other hand when considering at some of the strategies which were been applied by the people to find a solution to this problem, according to (Nicholson, 2014) points out that various fundraising and charity work was been organized within the community where several other donations were been also raised along with a group of thirty volunteers has being trying to organize a refugee camp specially for the youth, where the accommodation facilities was been provided for almost half a dozen of the youth each and every night. Apart from that, (Nicholson, 2014) feels that all of these sacrifices turned out to be successful in a few years time, because all of the youth who has been left homeless before has been eventually started to find the most ideal opportunities and options within the community by getting jobs which were been offered by the employees within the local community, while some of the youth has gained the opportunity to resume their school education once again. According to (Nicholson, 2014) the volunteers were the ones who were teaching and instructing the youth by also providing the opportunity to gain memberships in sporting clubs within the local area. In a period of 18 months, (Nicholson, 2014) has stated that a charitable community service organization was been established because the volunteers were facing some issues to take forward the development in the services which has been provided.

Apart from that when considering to the charitable community service organizations with further explanations by also contrasting such organizations with the private and public sector organizations are also stated clearly. Therefore, according to (LCSA, 2020) points out that charitable community service organizations are considered as organizations which are engaging with the community while trying to look for different ways in which they could start collaborating and communicating with the community. When considering (Smyth, 2014) has also being trying to point out that organizations within the community sector are very much business minded, whereas organizations within the private sector is more into the context of social responsibility where their primary objective is to focus on becoming entrepreneurs. In terms of community sector organizations (Smyth, 2014) also points out that it could be categorized into charitable organizations and also social enterprises. In Australia there could be many examples of community sector organizations such as Our Community House according to (“Our Community House,”n.d.,) which tries to gather workers from the not-for-profit and social enterprise sector in order to look for ways in which change could be made in Australia, by letting them share the facilities and the number of workers which were been gathered by the Community House was in excess of 400. (Smyth, 2014) also points out that church based organizations could also be classified as organizations within the community sector and such example would be the St Laurence. According to (Smyth, 2014) the key areas in which the community sector would focus on is that the small neighborhoods and also the people who are been disadvantaged. Additionally, (Smyth, 2014) points out that 41% of the Australian community sector organizations which were carrying out their operations in between 1960 and 1979, and also a further 43% in between 1980 and 1990. Apart from that (Smyth, 2014) also points out that during the year 1980 a large number of these types of agencies were simply dependent on their own resources, and during the end of that era this particular industry was heavily involved in delivering services for the government. In the same time according to (Paulsen, 2003) also points out that unlike the organizations within the privatized sector managers within the community sector are simply operating in an environment of uncertainty and they will also have the possibility to face some challenges in the future while some of those challenges which could be highlighted. Especially the challengers with the delivery of those services will be seen simply because they will need to carry out the delivery of those services within a very complex and changing environment. However according to (Smyth, 2014) also mentions that there is not much of a difference when comparing with some of the problems which has been faced by the managers within the private sector, since the organizations within this particular sector are organizations which primarily focuses on the delivery of service rather than trying to make any form of profit. And also (Smyth, 2014) is also trying to point out that managers who perform in the senior management or other executive roles within the community management organizations would usually come across the same number of strategic challenges as the managers within the private and public sector in the long-run of the operations.

In conclusion this essay has focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the community sector organizations in a management perspective and ways in which they could be contrasted with the private and public sector organizations in terms of the ways in which those organizations function and structure.

References

1. Nicholson, T., 2014. Speech on the future of the community welfare sector. Brotherhood of St Laurence.
2. LCSA 2020, Local Community Services Association, viewed 6 August 2020, https://lcsansw.org.au//Public/About Us/About_Us.apx
3. Our Community, n.d., Our Community House , Viewed 6 June 2020, https://ochouse.com.au/about-us
4. Paulsen,N., 2003. Managing strategic challenges in community sector organizations’. Queensland Review,10(1),p.141.
5. Smyth, P., 2014, August. The Lady Vanishes: Australia’s disappearing voluntary sector. In Presentation to a lunchtime seminar Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Victoria on (Vol.14).

Community service is a social welfare service activity carried out by a community to meet the material and spiritual needs of its members. Community service is not just a social spontaneous and voluntary service activity, but a guided, organized, and systematic service system. Community service is not an ordinary social service industry. It is different from a business social service industry. Community service is not a social activity that provides services for others with only a small number of people. It is a social welfare activity based on the participation of all residents of the community and self-help and mutual assistance. It is frequently done close to the region where you live, so your very own locale receives the rewards of your work. You don’t get paid to perform community services, yet volunteer your time.

If I could start my own community service, I would like to do old folks’ homes. I choose this community service because I want to prepare myself to serve my parents in the future. If I have at least a little practice on how they are taken care of, I will be able to help them in the future. I will learn to do the cleaning, organizing, and health care. The second purpose is to make our close surroundings remember to always take care of them and take the time with family and not wait until the elderly pass away to regret it. After knowing that I have joined in such community service, our family members and friends might also want to join and help others. The third purpose is to make the community realize, of course, people follow what others do. So, by seeing a group of youngsters paying a visit to the old folks and having fun, many people might also want to do the same thing.

I would serve old people. Kinds of acts of service would volunteers perform are singing, chit-chatting with them, helping them with a massage, help them cut their fingernails and hair. Another is cleaning, volunteers will sweep the floor, mop the floor clear the windows, and clear the shelves, and so on. Besides that, volunteers need to take care of them and make them feel warm and happy. Volunteers must also patiently listen to and treat the elderly.

Community service is so important to volunteerism because volunteering teaches people of all ages and backgrounds compassion and understanding. One thing I like about community service is that there are opportunities to improve and leave your mark on your global and local community. Volunteering and putting on service events can be used as a way to advocate for causes that you are personally passionate about.

Community service volunteering can also be the avenue to explore areas in which you express interest. Volunteering is something that has no time limit; you can volunteer as much or as little as you’d like or have time for and still feel some type of fulfillment from it. Not only is community service fun and rewarding, but volunteering looks great on a resume or college application. Sometimes community service is even required for high school graduation.

Volunteer efforts make the biggest difference and their benefits are psychological and mental benefits. Volunteering increases overall life satisfaction and helps you feel good about yourself since you are helping other people. It can likewise help to diminish pressure and simplicity wretchedness. Moreover, social benefits. For example, volunteering engages students with the community, makes exceptional bonds with the populace being served, and builds social mindfulness and duty. Furthermore, Cognitive and subjective benefits. For instance, volunteering enables students to improve their own insight, grow from new experiences, and develop better interpersonal communication skills.

One of the benefits of community service is good moral values. Virtues like trustworthiness, humbleness, thankfulness, regard, non-judgmental, and genuineness are a portion of the ethics to be gained from serving the community. Sadly, these can’t be instructed in the study hall. Due to all these reasons, parents are sending their kids regularly, and in larger numbers, for such activities. This gives them a good feeling of having done something for others. The youngsters figure out how to think past ‘I, me, myself’ and get a more extensive point of view of life.

Unity among all is also one of the benefits of community services. Another reason why people promote it is that it can become a vehicle for getting a nation together. It can nearly resemble the point of convergence of a country, as there is a significant accentuation on doing useful for other people. This is mostly driven by religious and political corridors.

I believe schools should require their students to perform community service. It is because of service learning associated with academic gain. Students who participate in community service learning tend to do better in school. It’s believed that community service is somewhat of a missing link for students, giving them the chance to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to real human needs. Volunteering is a great way to follow up on and supplement subjects that have been covered in the classroom.

Besides that, understudies often experience an increased sense of self-adequacy. Understudies who do community services work discover that they can really have any kind of effect on what they do. This enables understudies to all the more likely comprehend their very own ability, prompting progressively self-assurance and a can-do frame of mind that can spread to their work and scholastic interests.

Moreover, service is a great problem-solving skill builder. Students participating in community service are often faced with challenges and tough problems to tackle. By working through them as a volunteer, they learn how to better solve problems, and enjoy the satisfaction of overcoming a hurdle.

Furthermore, students are more attractive to potential employers. Partaking in community services shows understudies’ aptitudes that are significant to managers, similar to critical thinking, cooperation, and the capacity to adhere to directions. Volunteering is particularly significant when it is identified with an understudy’s future vocation.

In addition, magnificent networking opportunities. Community service opens students up to a wealth of networking opportunities, allowing them to build new relationships within their community as they contribute. Understudies can meet new individuals, work with new associations, and reinforce their connections to the community.

Besides, a sense of responsibility and pride. As students work within their community, they learn that they can be responsible for making great things happen. This helps to build a sense of responsibility in students, and a sense of pride when they see what they’ve done is actually helping others.

Lastly, learning beyond the classroom. Volunteering allows students to take what they’ve learned and applied it beyond the classroom. This offers an open door for advancement and an extraordinary path for them to perceive how ideas they’ve scholarly work in reality.

Compulsory particularly military help can advance basically national solidarity from numerous points of view. Required national assistance would mostly encourage solidarity and for the most part, bring individuals from various foundations together in a major way. Mandatory assistance would set aside the administration cash and literally give advantages to all citizens. Performing actually national essential help would particularly assist youthful with peopling actually fully grown and really fill in as an extension to adulthood.

Obligatory national help would cultivate solidarity and bring individuals from differing foundations together. The factional separation in the US has never been more noteworthy: Seat Exploration followed an expansion in divided contrasts from 15 rate indicates in 1994 to 36 points in 2017. Dan Glickman, JD, previous US congressman from Kansas, accepts that required assistance would be an answer for our ‘current brokenness’ in light of the fact that ‘National help, be it in the military, Harmony Corps, or other open or private division openings, separates the obstructions of race, class, salary, geology, and even language. Youthful grown-ups have conceded the chance to consider themselves to be individual Americans as a colleague.’ 30 nations have the necessary military help. Switzerland, which has four authority dialects and three significant ethnic gatherings, connects its partitions with an obligatory national help program. The European country is distinguished as perhaps the most joyful nation on the planet by the Unified Countries. Quality Yaw, JD, a state representative in Pennsylvania, suggests a two-year all-inclusive open assistance prerequisite to advance consideration and comprehension of being an American: ‘We can’t produce excitement for our lifestyle when under 2% of our populace has advanced any exertion for our nation.’

Necessary help would set aside the administration cash and give advantages to all residents. National help programs are a demonstrated savvy technique to address basic needs in the nation. A report from the Middle for Advantage Cost Concentrates in Training found that adolescent national help programs in the US cost an aggregate of $1.7 billion every year and restored an estimation of $6.5 billion, making a social advantage of 3.95 occasions more than the expense. For each dollar of citizen cash spent on youth administration programs, more than two dollars of reserve funds came about. The National Park Administration appraises that utilizing a nonmilitary personnel preservation corps to keep up national parks spares a normal of 65% and as much as 87% on multiplied tasks. Strategy Study Partners found that schools that had help from the current national assistance program City Year AmeriCorps were a few times bound to see upgrades in English and math capability among understudies. AmeriCorps individuals helped 25,000 jobless coal diggers in Eastern Kentucky secure positions in different enterprises and added to a 26% decline in vicious wrongdoing in Detroit by shaping neighborhood watches and accompanying children to class. In the event that national assistance was compulsory, similarly, as jury obligation is expected of everybody, the number of members would develop and the subsequent advantages would be exponentially higher.

Performing federal assistance would assist youth with peopling developed and filling in as an extension to adulthood. 98% of understudies who took a whole year between secondary school and the school announced that the postponement helped them create as individuals and 97% said it expanded their development. Hole-year understudies will in general have GPAs that are .1 to .4 higher than their companions. Mandatory assistance would permit every single youngster the seek self-awareness before beginning school or entering the workforce. Paula S. Fass, Ph.D., history Educator Emerita at UC Berkeley, advocates that 18-to-21-year-olds ought to be required to finish two years of administration either in the military or in poor networks, saying, ‘We realize that we as a general public need these administrations. I would contend that youthful Americans would be given a feeling of development and fitness by giving them.’ Administration prerequisites would profit America’s childhood, says Isabel V. Sawhill, Ph.D., Senior Individual in Financial Examinations at the Brookings Organization: ‘A large number of the present youngsters are flopping. They are unsure about what they need to do with their lives. They need an organized open door to make them feel required and fit.’ Members would increase certifiable aptitudes that will help them for the remainder of their lives.

Mandatory especially military assistance can progress fundamentally national solidarity from various perspectives. Needed national help would for the most part energize solidarity and generally bring people from different establishments together in a significant manner. Required help would put aside the organization’s money and truly offer points of interest to all citizens. Performing really national basically, help would especially help young peopling in reality fully developed and truly fill in as an expansion to adulthood.

National help shouldn’t be required in light of the fact that the volunteer framework is blasting. 28% of twenty to thirty-year-olds as of now humanitarian effort, for a sum of 1.5 billion network administration hours every year. A few intentional nonmilitary personnel administration programs now exist, for example, AmeriCorps, Educate for America, and the Harmony Corps, notwithstanding boundless volunteer open doors all through the nation. Since AmeriCorps was established in 1993, more than 800,000 members have finished more than one billion help hours. Applications as of now outpace financing and limit, implying that constraining more individuals to take an interest would be troublesome. There are 15 qualified would-be volunteers for each accessible AmeriCorps spot. Recruiting individuals into the military would make the military less effective. Michael Lind, JD prime supporter and individual at the New America Establishment, expressed, ‘Most individuals from the military are happy with our expert troopers and would prefer not to keep an eye on who will leave the military following a half year or two years of unsought, obligatory preparing.’ In excess of 24 million of the 34 million Americans between ages 17 and 24 – an astounding 71% – would be ineligible to serve in the military on account of precluding elements, for example, unexpected weakness, lawful offense feelings, and tattoos.

Ordering national assistance abuses the constitution and would encroach on the opportunity to pick how to manage our lives. The thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution states, ‘Neither subjection nor automatic subjugation, aside from as a discipline for wrongdoing whereof the gathering will have been properly indicted, will exist inside the US.’ While the legislature has the power to ‘raise and bolster Armed forces,’ there is no established reason for convincing residents to perform open help. Doug Bandow, JD, legal advisor and senior individual at the Cato Organization, says, ‘Obligatory all-inclusive national help, at any rate, if lawfully required and sponsored by common or criminal punishments, would fit the meaning of automatic subjugation.’ Stuart Anderson, Official Chief of the National Establishment for American Arrangement, expressed, ‘Since individuals are presently allowed to live and work where they need, one presumes support in a National Assistance Program would be compulsory under the risk of a jail sentence… a National Help Program that removes two years from the lives of youngsters (or others) negates the most significant piece of America, what has attracted individuals to its shores for a considerable length of time – singular freedom.’

A compulsory help program would be controlled by the rich and unreasonably hurt others. Rich individuals have had the option to control American establishments for a considerable time, purchasing their way into world-class colleges and maintaining a strategic distance from the military draft. A national assistance program would be likewise misused. Conor Friedersdorf, the staff author at The Atlantic, said that obligatory help programs ‘will be gamed by the rich, the well-associated, the people with the social funding to make sense of how things work – and national assistance will be set up such that serves their finishes and mirrors their qualities and inclinations.’ A time of compulsory help could be a hardship for families and networks that would lose their youngsters who are as of now performing administration by adding to the family unit pay, keeping an eye on neighbors, or thinking about wiped out family members. Obligatory help would postpone individuals’ entrance into the workforce, bringing about huge lost income for a few. ‘Think about the hopeful competitor or performer who has just such a significant number of years in her prime, the capable coder who may need to leave behind a major market opportunity, or the youthful laborer who can’t take a year off from sustaining his family,’ the Washington Post Article Load up noted. 

Community service plays a crucial role in fostering social cohesion, empathy, and personal growth. Engaging in community service allows individuals to contribute to the betterment of society while benefiting themselves. This essay will explore the definition of community service, its benefits, and its significance. Additionally, it will delve into various types of community service and share a personal experience that exemplifies the transformative impact of such service.

Definition of Community Service

Community service refers to voluntary activities undertaken by individuals or groups with the aim of addressing the needs of their local communities. It is a selfless act of giving one’s time, skills, and resources to support and improve the lives of others. Community service is rooted in the spirit of compassion, empathy, and civic responsibility.

Engaging in community service goes beyond personal gain and focuses on the collective well-being of a community. It involves actively identifying and addressing social issues, whether they are related to education, healthcare, environmental sustainability, poverty, or any other area of concern. Individuals participating in community service often collaborate with local organizations, non-profits, schools, or government agencies to maximize their impact.

Benefits of Community Service

Community service offers many benefits, both to the individuals performing the service and the communities they serve. Some key advantages include:

a) Personal Growth: Engaging in community service provides opportunities for personal growth and self-discovery. By stepping out of their comfort zones, individuals can develop new skills, enhance their problem-solving abilities, and gain a broader perspective on life.

b) Social Connection: Community service creates bonds among participants and fosters a sense of belonging and connection within the community. It brings people from diverse backgrounds together, promoting mutual understanding and empathy.

c) Skill Development: Community service allows individuals to acquire and enhance valuable skills, such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and organization. These skills are transferable to various aspects of life, including future career prospects.

d) Empowerment: Community service empowers individuals to make a positive impact on the world around them. By actively addressing social issues, volunteers become agents of change and catalysts for community development.

Importance of Community Service

Community service is essential for several reasons:

1. a) Social Responsibility: Participating in community service reflects a sense of social responsibility. It signifies a commitment to actively contribute to the well-being of one’s community and promote a more inclusive and equitable society.

1. b) Strengthening Communities: Community service strengthens the fabric of communities by addressing local needs and fostering collaboration among residents, organizations, and businesses. It promotes community resilience and enables collective problem-solving.

1. c) Promoting Civic Engagement: Engaging in community service cultivates active citizenship, encouraging individuals to participate in public affairs and democratic processes. It fosters a sense of civic duty and encourages people to advocate for positive change.

Types of Community Service

Community service encompasses a wide range of activities to address a local community’s needs. Here are some common types of community service:

1. Environmental Initiatives: These activities focus on preserving and improving the environment. Examples include participating in clean-up drives, organizing recycling programs, planting trees, and promoting sustainable practices.
2. Education and Mentoring: These initiatives aim to support and enhance education within the community. Activities may include tutoring students, conducting educational workshops, mentoring youth, or providing educational resources to underserved populations.
3. Health and Wellness: Community service in health and wellness involves activities promoting physical and mental well-being. This can include volunteering at healthcare clinics, organizing blood drives, raising awareness about public health issues, or supporting campaigns for disease prevention.
4. Social Services: These types of community service focus on assisting vulnerable populations and addressing immediate needs. Examples include volunteering at homeless shelters, food banks, or soup kitchens, organizing clothing drives, and providing support to individuals facing challenging circumstances.
5. Community Development: These initiatives aim to improve a community’s overall quality of life. Activities may include organizing community events, revitalizing public spaces, promoting cultural diversity, or supporting local businesses and initiatives.
6. Disaster Relief: During times of natural disasters or emergencies, community service plays a critical role in providing aid and support to affected communities. This can involve volunteering for disaster response organizations, assisting with evacuation efforts, providing shelter and supplies, or participating in rebuilding projects.
7. Advocacy and Activism: Community service can also involve advocating for social change and raising awareness about important issues. This can include organizing rallies, lobbying for policy changes, or participating in campaigns that promote equality, justice, and human rights.

It is important to note that these are just a few examples, and community service can encompass a wide range of activities depending on a community’s specific needs and priorities. The key aspect of community service is the voluntary contribution of time, skills, and resources to address community needs and make a positive impact.

Personal Experience

Reflecting on my personal experience with community service, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a local animal shelter. This experience was not only fulfilling but also transformative in many ways. At the animal shelter, my main responsibilities included assisting with the care and well-being of the animals. I would help feed them, clean their living spaces, and provide companionship and exercise. I also assisted in organizing adoption events and fundraising initiatives to support the shelter’s operations.

This experience had a profound impact on me. First and foremost, I developed a deep sense of empathy and compassion for animals. Seeing their resilience and unconditional love despite their challenging circumstances was incredibly inspiring. It reinforced the importance of responsible pet ownership and the need for animal welfare organizations in our communities.

Moreover, volunteering at the animal shelter allowed me to witness the direct impact of my actions. Seeing the joy on the faces of families who adopted animals I had cared for filled my heart with happiness. I realized that even small acts of kindness and dedication can make a significant difference in the lives of others, both humans and animals. Additionally, the experience taught me valuable life skills. I learned about the importance of teamwork and collaboration as we worked together to provide the best care for the animals. I also developed patience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills when faced with unexpected challenges or difficult situations.

Most importantly, volunteering at the animal shelter reinforced the significance of community engagement and service. It showed me that by giving back to the community, we can create a positive ripple effect that extends beyond the immediate beneficiaries. 

Overall, my experience with community service at the animal shelter was transformative. It deepened my empathy, taught me valuable skills, and ignited a passion for making a positive impact. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve and look forward to continuing my journey of community service in the future.

Conclusion

In conclusion, community service is a powerful force that brings individuals together to address the needs of their communities. It offers numerous benefits, including personal growth, social connection, and the development of essential skills. Engaging in community service promotes social responsibility, strengthens communities, and encourages civic engagement. Through various types of community service, individuals can make a tangible difference in the lives of others and contribute to the overall well-being of society. My personal experience volunteering at an animal shelter exemplifies the transformative impact of community service, fostering empathy, teaching valuable skills, and instilling a desire to continue serving.

Introduction: objectives of the activity :

1. To spread awareness to society about the environment.
2. To save the plants and the environment.
3. To build confidence and a positive self-image.
4. To enhance the students knowledge as well as to enhance skills.

On the 8th of August 2019, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, we conducted our major project at MSU’s U-Plaza. We decided to conduct a project related to the environment and we did our project by doing a mobile booth which meant walking around and spreading awareness or information. The main attraction of our project was we encouraged people to adopt a plant as adopting a plant can help make the environment better. The reason we chose to do this project was that community service is not only about helping those in need but also about making the world a better place. Most people do community service towards orphanages or towards the urban poor but nobody has ever done community service towards the environment. That is why we chose to do this project to make people realise that the environment needs our help and we have to make the environment better.

We have 3 groups for this project. The first group handled the booth, the second group handled the plants and the third group handled the flash mob. For our group which was me, Aliah Nakishah, Nur Afiza Hanim, Nur Afiqah Izzati, Naaganathini, and Puteri Syahirah were assigned to handle the booth and we were in charge of doing posters and pamphlets.

As for the financial budget plan for our group, we only spent about RM30 for printing the posters and the pamphlet. We also spent RM41.50 on the decorations for the booth.

Description of the activity conducted:

Pre-project:

Before the day of our project, we decided to have a meeting among our group members. The meeting was to discuss the tasks. Each team members have a given task according to their abilities. We conducted the meeting successfully and all our team members gave a positive response and were willing to complete this project together.

Firstly, we divided the task into 3 parts. The first task is planning. We planned the project in detail on what we wanted to decorate, what we wanted to buy for decorations, how the project will go along, and also mascots. This project was conducted by Afiza as she is the group leader. Then, the second task is budget. This task is conducted on Farhanah. She was responsible to buy things such as a mask for our costume (mascot), colored pencils, a board for the signature of the people who are adopting the plant, and also some ribbons for the decorations. The last part is poster, bookmarks and also pamphlets. This task have been given to Aliah and Afiqah for the poster. The bookmarks, it has been given to Seishini and Aina. Then, the pamphlet have been given to Nanthini.

Then, we only have a few days left before the project day. All of us were busy finishing up the given task. After Farhanah bought the stuff, Afiza and Puteri decorated the signature board and also the mascots together as they are willing to become the mascots. Then, Aliah and Afiqah have finished their poster and they were ready to print it. Except for the bookmarks and also pamphlets because of some problems. But, 2 days before the project day, they can finish up their bookmarks and also pamphlets and also be ready to print them. We expected these tasks will be finished a week before the final project day. But, due to the presentation that each group member had for their subjects, our tasks were pending for a while due to these issues.

We as group members have been prepared for our physical, mental, and also emotions while handling this project. We as a group members united together and also spent some energy and time to complete the task together before the project day. So this is how we prepared physically for completing this awareness campaign for our project. Then, we as group members were also prepared mentally. We think of others’ way if our plan is not suitable and also we think about how to make this project become a good project and will give a positive impact on us. We also think and plan for the decorations of the poster, bookmarks, and also pamphlets. We also have been discussing who is going to explain to everyone about our campaign. So, this is how we as group members prepared mentally. Finally, we also prepared emotionally. This is because some of our group tasks are going to be unexpected. But, we do not want to stress it out. We also decreased our anger and stress if our group members make a problem because, we think that, we as group members do not want to argue because other group members also have their own work for other subjects. We still think happily and gave good ideas for our project. This is because, if we work under stress, we will not produce a quality product. So, we change our mindset to if we are stressed, we will speak up about why we are stressed and try to handle it together. So this is how we managed our emotions for this projects.

In conclusion, this is how we plan our projects. We realized there were some mistakes from us while handling this project. But, we still did our best for the project. From handling this project, we know how to handle important events in the future. This project has taught us about leadership skills, thinking skills, and others. This is a good and also a fun project for us. Finally, due to our project being about an awareness campaign which was about adopting the plant and saving the earth, we also realize that our young generations like us must do this kind of campaign for our good deeds and for our goods. This is how we learn to love our earth and to save our earth. We love community service subjects!

Post-project:

Firstly, we all gathered in the classroom at 1.50 pm. After the tasks have been divided among each student, at 2.30 pm we went down to the U-Plaza.

During the project, there were two groups. One group was spreading awareness across the U-Concourse to the Hub section, and another group was spreading awareness around U-Plaza. After that, for the highlight, at 3.15 pm flash mob groups made a performance to attract more people to join our campaign. The flash mob performances ended at 3:35 pm.

In this project, there are many initiatives that we have provided. The first is the mascot. The mascot was two animals which are a unicorn and a monkey. Mascots have made a huge impact on this project. People are more attracted to taking pictures with the mascots because of their cute characters. When people surrounded a mascot, it was easier for us to explain the awareness that we were running.

Second initiatives was we provided a variety of reading materials for people who are willing to take their time to hear the explanation from us. Among them we have created A3 sized posters related to the environment to make it easier for people to read clearly even far. In addition, we also provided a board adorned with very beautiful and creative decorations. After listening to the explanation, people can sign and write quotes or any words related to the environment on this board.

Thirdly, we have also provided pamphlets and bookmarks to people. By giving these pamphlets, we hope the people can understand well about all the information that we already convey. In the brochure, we put a lot of new knowledge about the environment. Indirectly, this can increase their knowledge about the environment that they do not know over the years. We emphasize the care of the environment well and always together without any sense of selfishness for the sake of future generations. Bookmarks are also provided with pamphlets. In these bookmarks, there are words that encourage people to adopt a plant. Adopting a plant can give a large effect on the earth.

Apart from the above, there are two other initiatives being undertaken which were flash mob performance and giving free plants to people. After spreading our awareness to people, the highlight, flash mob performance was made to the people. This flash mob performance only lasts about 20 minutes. By using the song Kill This Love, Blackpink attracted and brought more people to join our campaign as the song is popular nowadays.

And then, after people are willing to listen to our explanations, they were given free plants to adopt at home. It is encouraged to adopt a plant in order to green the earth. It can help to reduce ozone levels in urban areas. Next, it is essential to life because it can create the very air we breathe and filter air pollution that can cause illness to the healthy body. Other than that, it can help to cool the earth by removing carbon dioxide from the air and offering energy-saving shade that reduces global warming.

Lastly, after everything was done, we went back to gather in the classroom at 3:45 pm. While in the classroom, our lecturer congratulated us because we were able to complete this project successfully. The lecturer asked the leaders of each group to provide some feedback, either it is good or bad. After the feedback session ended, at 4.10 pm we all dispersed.

In conclusion, there are many initiatives that have been taken in order to attract people to join this campaign. All the initiatives that we did have a large impact or a good impression on our project. Indeed, this project could give a new experience to all students. Students can learn to improve their leadership skills, communication skills, accountability, teamwork skills and so on. It is hoped that such a project can be further developed in the future.

Learning experience:

Key Experiences Response To share

Toleration

• This attitude is a necessary attitude in a group.
• Toleration toward the group member while doing an activity is a must to achieve success in the activity.
• Toleration that our group member was good. It showed when the other tried to cover if the information that had been delivered were incorrect or insufficient.
• Toleration is an attitude that needs to be practiced in the young generation to achieve a high level of moral value in each person.

Teamwork

• Teamwork is one of the obligations that need to be practiced in the group while doing activities.
• Our group members showed good teamwork while doing this major project. It showed when each member keeps in touch with others while giving awareness and adopting a plant.
• Good results in a project are based on the teamwork that is given by each group member and the younger generation needs to be involved in teamwork to make a good society.

Punctual

• Punctual time for each member is a must if there are late submissions it will infect the whole activity.
• Based on the major project that has been done the punctuality was bad because there was late submission and the member was late.
• Time management is something important that needs to be learned to increase the percentage of success for future activities.

Leadership

• Leadership is an attitude that needs to show by the leader to give instruction to the group members.
• The leadership showed in the major project when the leader give instructions to other members to divide the task and group to make the awareness become easier.
• The leader for the future project needs to be aware of the information and the task that instructs another meme

Conclusion:

In conclusion, it is not easy to complete a construction or a project without coordination and communication among the team members involved in the project. There are so many considerations and tasks that must be done before starting any kind of project.

Based on this major project, we have realized that time management has an important role in doing something. Remember to delegate and share with your teammates to even the workflow to finish up the task quickly and with less stress. In addition, teamwork is the key to finishing our project successfully. Teamwork in our group challenges us to deal with varying opinions, methods, and experience levels. As team members, we may find ourselves disagreeing with teammates struggling to cooperate on the project. Learning to compromise and communicate effectively with the other team members help us work productively toward a common goal. The result of effective teamwork is a finished product that meets or exceeds expectations. So, to finish our project, we should have teamwork in every single thing we do.

Finally, we have done our major project successfully. We faced lots of problems and stress in this project but we managed to sort out the problems with our teammates. By handling this project, we have learned many things. Hopefully, our community service lecturers are satisfied with the way we handled the project.

Mac’s Child Care Centre is located in the Kasarani area in Nairobi. It is situated in a small muddy area, whereby during the rains it is not suitable for learning due to mudslides. Mac’s Child Care has been in existence for 27 years. It is a children’s centre that caters to 60 children, 20 being hosted with others helped from back home. They only rented two rooms from the building they have. They have classes ranging from classes 1- 5 and all the classes are divided into two. Children that are in the Centre are orphans, vulnerable with parents and vulnerable with HIV/AIDS. Nonetheless, their personalized learning is impressive as they offer a range of speciality programs including Advanced Placement, students’ recreational activities and singing, Super Achievers, etc.

Feelings

I recall the first time I made my way to Mac’s Child Care Centre. It was my first time traversing through this side of Nairobi and I was a little bit intimidated by the place due to how it looked. I kept on wondering how there would be a whole other life on this side of the city that I had never explored. I finally got to Mac’s Child Care, and just when I walked in, it looked and felt like a dilapidated place.

I am very fond of giving back to the community in any way. I think that giving a helping hand to someone who needs it could serve you well in so many ways. When I learnt that we were going to help teachers in the process of delivering education, I was in for this. I was already amazed by the organization and the way they have come together to serve the community. Being part of such a good cause was something I always wanted to be part of my community service.

Mac’s Child Care has a vision to change children and make it a better place with a well-represented society. I was impressed with its vision to offer basic education and make their people be exposed to general knowledge to be a more aware community. The students that are there are looking into making a better future for themselves, and this is the kind of drive we need in our next generation

As I went on with the community service, something that really caught my attention is the lengths people go through to obtain knowledge and get educated, while there are others who don’t even appreciate what they have. Growing up, I would always feel some type of way about almost every school I went to. I would always find a reason just to change schools, and just after a few days in Mac’s Child Care Centre, I can confidently say that I am so grateful for the education I managed to get and the comfort I got when getting educated. I felt so guilty for taking the good educational life I had for granted, and now I can even confidently encourage others to appreciate what life has to offer them.

Mac’s Child Care Centre established a building for the future children a care institute and is embarking on a fundraising campaign to benefit students in baby class to grade 4. The funds raised will support and enhance the learning environment in the core areas, academics, and buildings. Their goal is to nurture and raise the living standards and literacy of orphaned and vulnerable children and give them a strong and good foundation that will benefit them in the future. Mac’s Child Care is ambitious and knows that the results will have an impact on the current and future students and people who partake in their initiative as a member of their fundraising team will be proud. Specific plans include upgrading the classroom and dormitory environment, support for drama productions, reconfiguration and enhancements to buy study equipment like textbooks. With the help of the likes of USIU-Africa’s community service groups and initiatives, Mac’s Child Care Centre is positive that they could accomplish so much more.

SWOT Analysis

Personally, I think that the school has more strengths than anything else. The ability to offer education services to 60 students despite the poor conditions is already impeccable. The institution moulds and builds these students’ education life for them to have better futures. The biggest strength is these students leave with knowledge gained, and I totally applaud this. The institution offers daycare services to toddlers and little children. They take good care of them and feed them until their parents come for them. During this time they teach the kids nursery rhymes and also give them eating and potty training. This is so good since the parents can leave their kids and run errands while knowing their children are in safe hands.

Mac’s Child Care Centre is a community school which was started by a group of members of the Kasarani community. They attract well-wishers and donors who donate and fund the school. A good example is our students from USIU-Africa who have done their community project here and managed to build a few rooms that are used as a classroom, kitchen and offices. The students pay a minimal fee that is used to sustain and run the school. That same money is used to pay the teachers, as well as to support the welfare of the institution. The institution has managed to offer employment to the teachers and also the other staff like the subordinate staff like a cleaner and caretaker.

Another strength I have to point out is the fact that the institution has managed to discipline and reform some of the students who were going astray. The institution has succeeded in getting some of the students to enrol in the school and gain knowledge instead of wasting their time loitering around and getting into harmful activities like drug abuse and stealing. This move has brought good to society by ensuring the children do not go astray. Looking at the bigger picture, education will always be something that no one can steal from you. Offering education to these children growing up will eventually help them in future in pursuing their careers and doing something with their lives.

Something I will point out as a weakness is the location of the institution as the nature of the environment is quite compromising in terms of cleanliness and offering a healthy environment. There is so much dirt around the school area that could also be a health hazard. Textbooks and other educational materials are a challenge the students are facing. They have to share the textbooks and also manage to work with the limited materials, which can be a setback for the learning process.

The safety around the school is also another weakness because it is not the best. The community has tried to take measures and maintain safety around the area, but it also gets insecure sometimes. Most classes are made from aluminium sheets (mabati), and this is not the best material when it comes to conquering extreme weather. It gets really hot or cold sometimes, and this can be challenging for both the teachers and students. Generally, it is not the most conducive environment for the learning process.

The school gets well-wishers and donors who try and help the welfare of the institution. It may not be much, but at least the little they get helps them run the school and cater for their basic needs. The donors also go a further step and try to help out students who perform well in their KCPE final exam. These donors pay fees for the students to help them continue their education. The school offers education and learning facilities for the people and allows them to gain knowledge. The institution participates in inter-school activities like sports and academic competitions which allows them to interact with other children. However, the location of the institution is quite compromising and not the best learning environment, which serves as a threat to the learning process.

Incidences

I witnessed some positive and negative events while doing my community service at Mac’s Child Care Centre. During one particular time, there were two students who fought in school. Their parents were summoned to school and there was a bit of chaos following the incident. The institution offers a platform for misbehaving children and they try to reform them and discipline them, but this has led to a threat to the other kids sometimes. When a child is brought to be disciplined, the first days are the hardest since they try and rebel. Sometimes these kids try to start a fight with the other kids, which could lead to tension between the students.

Activities to Do at Mac’s Child Care Centre

I will teach class 5 math and Kiswahili where with twelve students in the classroom. I will equally teach class 1 environmental studies. In addition, I will mark books and supervise exams. I also intend to take the kids for P.E., i.e. physical education. Since I am a Muslim, will gather Muslim students in one class and recite prayers and sermons. I will also be in charge of the PPI class, i.e. Programme of Pastoral Instruction, on Fridays to provide moral teachings to upper primary Muslim students after break till lunchtime. This is to enable the pupils to obtain religious nourishment specifically in their Islamic faith.

We have equally been buying breaks for the young kids from the small shops around so that they have something to eat before lunchtime. In addition, due to the poor state and condition of the school, we buy stationery such as books and pencils for the kids to facilitate their learning processes.

Recommendations/Conclusions

Generally, my community service experience at Mac’s Child Care Centre has been worth the while. I got to learn about so many things that I would probably not have experienced thanks to this community service. I greatly commend USIU for this initiative in the curriculum because it has been a noble opportunity. The fact that it is in a slum made it even more humbling. The place is a very tough neighbourhood where many people struggle to even live from hand to mouth. It is much tougher for the kids because they depend on their parents who barely earn enough. This makes them have very impoverished upbringing and it affects very many facets of their lives. Particularly, attaining quality education is a challenge in such an environment. This makes the children have a compromised learning experience. The same occurs at Mac’s Child Care Centre because of the dilapidated nature of the environment and institution. The school is at the heart of a very deprived location, and the children barely have a quality life and quality education.

Doing community service at such a place is truly unprecedented to me. It made me realize how tough life is on the other side of huge poverty lines, and it truly enhanced a great level of sensitization in my heart. I now have a deep sense of knowledge regarding schools that are existent in hardship areas. In addition, I learnt that children who go to such schools only do so because they do not have any other alternative for the time being, but they all dream big to do great things with their lives in the future.

Giving back to the community in such a place is truly a great experience because it deserves the kind of hands-on activities that I did at the school. I made friends amongst some of the pupils and staff members that I believe will last for a protracted period. I also enjoy my time doing community service there and it was worth all the hours that I put in. All in all, I am inspired and grateful that I was part and parcel of Mac’s Child Care Centre when I signed up for the place. In as much as my community service class will come to an end, I will definitely be going back to the school periodically and giving back in terms of services and financial assistance.

I recommend the following:

• Mac’s Child Care Centre ought to have a website to create more awareness and outreach to both a national and international audience.
• The best pupils from Mac’s Child Care Centre should obtain scholarships until their tertiary education.
• The school needs to have renovations in terms of the amenities and books to boost the children’s learning experience.
• The school should incorporate a system that rewards the talented students brilliant in sports, arts, music, etc. so that they are able to advance their special abilities to a point they can use that to get out of poverty.