We Are Called to Work for Social Justice

Christian Community Service is a program that Regina offers to encourage students to volunteer and develop an appreciation of volunteer work. It teaches us to acknowledge the problems of others and our potential to help solve them. Community service is important, because it teaches us to look beyond ourselves and not just see, but understand, that there are problems that are more important that our own. It helps us to solve our problems by learning from others and maturely dealing with adversity. However, for us to develop in such a way, we have to be open to the development and growth. This isn't possible if we continue to complain about how hard service is or that we don't have enough time. For service to mean something, we have to allow it to mean something. Having a personal conviction to volunteer and help others is the only thing that can truly drive us to sacrifice ourselves to do this. This conviction can come in many forms, including the desire to make a loved one happy or proud, the sense of justice to believe that all people should be give basic human rights, or the personal involvement of a cause. My personal conviction was inspired by my two heroes John and Hank Green. They both donate to charities and get involved with helping the world, though they are not known specifically for that. Because of their influence, my personal goals have become less self-centered and more purposed. This purpose has really helped me volunteer and has given the work I've done more significance than if I volunteered only because it was required.

The purpose of Christian Community Service is to help others. Justice is one of the major themes of service work. Cesar Chavez worked for the rights of migrant workers during his life. He worked for the justice by protesting the poor conditions faced by these workers and attaining rights for them. His protests were peaceful and nonviolent as he worked for justice. He believed that to be a full human being, one must suffer to help others. Suffering for another or for a just cause is noble, but it drives people away from working for justice. Concerned with our own comfort, we can ignore the need for justice in the world. Social justice is when we assure basic rights for all people in the world. To work for social justice, we must create opportunity for all people, including the poor and needy.

I really enjoyed volunteering this semester. The two service organizations I worked for was a grade school Our Lady Star of the Sea, and my old grade school. I seem to enjoy working at schools more than elsewhere. During my work at Our Lady Star of the Sea, I helped a teacher run a science camp for her students. They were young- from first grade to fifth grade. I enjoyed this work, because I could help the younger children do things they were too young to do by themselves, and I became a role model for the older children. At my old grade school, I helped run a football game for the middle school. Both volunteer services helped me feel like I could wrong society in the world, because I felt important. For Our Lady Star of the Sea, I was a role model and helper to those kids. I remember clearly the role models I had when I was younger, so I feel inspired to be the same role model to the kids that I had. Many of them respected me and told me so. At my grade school, the work is repetitive, but difficult. Because I had worked with the school before, I knew what to do. It is a pleasant surprise for me when adults ask me for help when I work with them. When I feel so respected that adults ask me for advice, I feel more capable to do more. When I am acknowledged for my work, I feel that I can take on more responsibilities. Society is too large an institution for one person to fix, but we are not alone. We should do our best to solve problems person to person, so that everyone can affect someone else. Joining larger service groups solves larger problems, not because one is not doing any more work, but because more people are working together to solve life's larger problems.