What do students learn through their community service? If students serve the homeless and enjoy the rewards of volunteering but do not study the various causes of homelessness, what lessons are they learning? If they ladle soup for those who are hungry but do not explore the conditions that brought individuals and families to their counter, is there a risk? We think so. Volunteerism will always be an important support for our society and for our humanity. It will also always be insufficient…. When the emphasis is on helping but not on the factors that create the need for help, we risk teaching students that need is inevitable, that alleviating momentary suffering but not its origins is the only expression of responsible citizenship.
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. What do you think they mean by “insufficient”? What would be sufficient?
2. Can we ever do enough to be “sufficient”?
3. Volunteerism doesn’t change the reality of the needs we’re trying to help alleviate. It helps those that need it now, but doesn’t change the original situation. Do we learn enough while participating in service to begin our work on the path of “sufficient”? What is challenging about this?
4. What is our role now?
Time Period: Contemporary (The Yom Kippur War until the present-day)