Tag: community service

Making a Career in Community and Social Services

The community services industry is a largely overlooked sphere and the wide array of possibilities bubbling here go unnoticed by the general population. Moreover, this sector is pivotal to the development of the nation. It is essential for preparing young adults to become principled citizens in a globalized world. Students looking to start their careers should be made aware of the opportunities available here.

Job Prospects

According to one report by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the social and community employment sector is expected to grow by 12 per cent between 2020 and 2030.

There is a wide range of career opportunities in this domain including health inspectors, correctional and probationary officers, marriage therapists, disability assistants, and rehabilitation counsellors. In contrast to other sectors, community services give employees a myriad of client areas to choose from. That means one can continue to grow and diversify until one lands their perfect niche.

 Jobs would typically be advertised on social media or community issue-focused websites. Local authorities will give notice of the jobs on their respective websites, as will larger charities.

Most employers generally comprise officials of local authorities, not-for-profit organizations, rural development groups, organizations concerned with particular groups or issues such as refugees or asylum seekers, drug addicts, sexual abuse victims, etc.  

Since these workers aid marginalized groups and tackle the problem persisting in their local area, they would be required to work closely with other organizations such as the police, schools, and other agencies and operate mainly within inner-city areas, small towns, and rural localities.

Educational requirements

The field is well suited for individuals who are keen to help people in need and contribute to a positive change in society. One can chalk out their education by specializing in areas of drugs and alcohol abuse, family and domestic violence, housing, or adolescent development to get a more enhanced perspective before stepping into this fast-growing industry. It would also help in bettering the chances of securing employment for the candidate. Although entry to this field is not restricted by educational qualifications having a degree in any subject certainly helps.

Key skills for workers

Prospective job seekers wishing to go the extra mile should focus on honing key skills like written and oral communication skills, sincerity, patience, tact, and the ability to earn the trust of others, and finally an in-depth understanding of policies that affect target groups.

Responsibilities

Standard responsibilities include helping communities share resources effectively, recruiting and training volunteers, presenting verbal and written reports to the superiors,  generating funds for the operations, creating awareness about important issues, developing projects to help sections of society afflicted with various social evils like drug abuse and managing the audit processes,

Conclusion

The challenges involved in this career would push the person to grow and evolve into a more empathetic individual while exposing them to people from all walks of life. Being a noble profession also enriches a person’s social standing in society.

All things considered, this is a highly recommended line of work.

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Should community service be made mandatory for children?

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yoourself in the service of others.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

Community service is voluntary and unpaid work, which is done for a social cause and to help the under privileged people/animals. It includes working in NGO’s and activism regarding a social cause.

Importance of community service

Community service is an essential part of our society as it inculcates better learning and cooperation skills in young children. It also provides them with a sense of responsibility and self- sufficiency.

The habits learned at a young age gets embedded in one’s personality and we all know that. But we seem to be raising children who are not taught how life skills play a very massive role in their personality development and ,empathy and selflessness is the emblem of being a proficiently raised human being.

 

Where are we actually lacking?

In schools, from the very beginning, children are taught to sprint towards scoring the best marks but we need to apprise them with the fact that education can make them literate but community service can transform them into a good citizen because this is the need of the hour.

Even in this time where COVID cases keep on increasing day-by-day and there is a pandemic on the shoulders of this world, students can sit at home and help in raising funds and helping the needy through the screens of their laptops and gadgets. Can anything be more powerful than this? But the field where we, as the society, are lacking is-awareness. And there will be proper awareness about this only when this particular area will mandatorily be a part of our curriculum.

Community service also provides students with better job and college opportunities and increases their chances of getting a scholarship in the future. So, what I believe is that the young minds have a lot of potential and chance of changing their world for the better but they can only grab this chance when they provided with the right appraisal from the very beginning of their lives.

Can can community service be done from home itself in the pandemic ?

There are various NGOs and websites which are willing to hire more and more people who have a passion about bring a change in this world. The following are some roles you can take up to work on in the latter-

  1. Content writer- Words have the power to transform this world and if you think that your words have that power, you can write for various NGOs and help in raising awareness about their upcoming programmes .
  2. Social media marketing- If you have good advertisment and marketing skills and have a good amount of knowledge about varios social media platforms, you should opt for this role, as it would require you to spread and market NGO campaigns through social media.
  3. Research work- This is in high demand when it comes to websites and NGO’s. If you are good at reaching conclusions and going in the depth of concepts, you can go for this.
  4. Fundraiser- If you work within a large community or have a big audience on social media or in general, you should work in this feild. With the introduction of covid-19, this field has came out to be the greatest need of the hour.
Conclusion

Community service should not only be a part of our college or job resume, but also a part of our personality, character and humanity.

The Joys of Volunteering

Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual of doing some work for the society as community service. It may include different forms of work. Some volunteers are specially trained in a particular field while some offer to help and join hands for a good cause freely. Volunteering has different sectors like medical, disaster management, education and upliftment of community. There are several NGOs and organisations which offer volunteering opportunities.

Photo by Matthias Zomer on Pexels.com

It can help you to make new friends, advance your career, and feel better. Taking some time out of our busy schedules and finding time for volunteering can be difficult for some of us. But you can start small for the sake of trying it out. Volunteering lets you help and reach out to people from different backgrounds and create social change in your own little way. It provides vital help to individuals and gives you a chance to make lives better. Surely it makes people’s lives better but it gives you greater benefits. Give a little time to volunteering and you will get a lot in return!

It helps you feel happier and healthier. Once you start volunteering, you will meet a lot of new people from different communities. Working with underprivileged communities makes us more aware of our surroundings and feel grateful about our own lives. Also, when you start doing something new it gives you a fresh start and brightens your mood. Most of us love doing new things. Volunteering will also help you spend some quality time outside of work. It will bring both fun and fulfillment to your life. It will help you combat better with issues of mental health like depression and anxiety. It will also improve your mood and give you immense joy. Seeing the smile on the face of a child will surely brighten your day.

You will meet a lot of new people. Your fellow volunteers will either be from similar fields as yours, which will definitely be a positive side or they will be from completely different walks of life giving you a chance to know about a lot of new things. If you are a person who struggles with making new friends, it is a great opportunity for you to start new friendships. Once you start working as a team with others, you will share your ideas and share responsibilities for carrying out a task. While working and planning together it is most likely that you will become great friends. This will also make you a more social person and increase your communication skills. Volunteering helps you to network with a lot of people. Especially if your career path values societal issues, it will be really helpful for you to meet important people and make connections.

Lastly it will help you enhance your career prospects. Almost all companies or educational institutions value a volunteering experience. They will be glad to know that you have been a part of something so meaningful. Volunteering increases your chances of getting selected and helps you improve your resume. It will also give you experience of working with a team and make you a more empathetic and responsible person.