The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

To freely offer to do something. This short phrase-volunteer-describes the one action that many organizations, businesses and communities rely on to ensure the successful outcomes for their vested interest.

In this particular definition, the reader easily assumes "freely" describes the act where no money is exchanged to reimburse the individual for his or her time, knowledge or energy.

However, shouldn't the word freely also describe the willingness and self-efficacy to enjoy and complete the task effectively?

It does not matter where you look in the community, you will find someone volunteering their time, money or energy. However, the individual volunteering may not be doing so on their own terms.

In fact, this person may be required to complete the act. So, from this perspective, is this truly volunteering?

Before I dig myself into too deep of a hole, I would like to say that I am an advocate for volunteering, and I find myself doing so regularly-maybe more than I have time for. I believe it builds connections, creates bonds, and-obviously-helps others. However, I believe the expectation that individuals need to volunteer has become a supposition that is uncontrollable.

If volunteering is not done out of the goodness of one's heart, then the act is not meaningful. Even though the donation of time may be helping those in need, the volunteer themselves are not receiving anything beneficial from the experience.

When it becomes an expectation instead of a thoughtful gift, volunteering loses all meaning.

For example, many high schools require students to complete a required amount of volunteer hours before they are allowed to graduate. While this policy is designed to help students become well-rounded individuals, it can become more of a burden than a supplementary aid.

If you have not noticed, high school students are busy. Between school, activities, homework, work and, on the rare occasion, free time, where in their schedule does volunteering become feasible?

In this instance, students are already becoming well rounded from their heavy involvement, and volunteering becomes an unnecessary burden that may limit students from growing in other much needed areas. When volunteering becomes a burden, is it truly allowing the individual to grow in a positive manner?

When I was a freshman at Wayne, I was accepted into a leadership program named WALK-Wildcat Academy of Leadership and Knowledge. Among the many requirements and tasks, this program believed that great leaders develop through volunteering and service to others. While I agree with this perspective, portions of this belief were overly inflated.

To graduate from the program as a senior, we are required to successfully complete and log 150 hours of community service. While I will easily meet this requirement, I personally do not always appreciate the requirement.

When I volunteer, I like to do so freely and because I enjoy it. When I hand the individual in charge of the organization the paper to sign, I feel as if I am only completing the service because it is required, not because I enjoy the satisfaction of helping others.

While volunteering is important and necessary, the requirements and expectations set around the service need to be eliminated. It is not volunteering if you are being forced to complete the action.

It is only volunteering if you enjoy the act and freely choose to help others.