What If Your Kid Isn’t Into Volunteering or Community Service?

[Anonymous]

My kid didn’t volunteer or do any community service activities or have impact. The interest has be genuine, authentic. So that box didn’t get checked. That doesn’t mean that they won’t contribute on campus. Kids grow and change and can contribute to their campus/local communities in a lot of other ways. Anyone else whose kid didn’t volunteer?

[Anonymous]

Did they not have required SSL hours? What did they do for those hours?

[Anonymous]

National Honor Society at my kid's school required many hours of it every year to maintain membership. It made it easier. There were a lot of opportunities.

[Anonymous]

Do you mean no volunteering at all in high school or not beyond what was part of school requirements? My kids attended religious school and had service hour requirements. They didn’t necessarily go over the amount of time unless it was an event that was part of another EC (like x team does fundraising or Girl Scout bronze award). However, they did pick something that was a genuine interest. They both contribute to their college community in different ways - one did a community service group their first year and the other is involved in religion fellowship and the community service aspect of their professional fraternity.

[Anonymous]

My kid satisfied all their HS volunteering during the Summer prior to freshman year.

None of it was listed in the activities section for college because it happened before Freshman year.

Now at a top 5 because they still found many productive uses of their time…leading clubs, working, winning competitions, etc.

None of any of this matters at all if you are looking past like the top 30.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn’t volunteer or do any community service activities or have impact. The interest has be genuine, authentic. So that box didn’t get checked. That doesn’t mean that they won’t contribute on campus. Kids grow and change and can contribute to their campus/local communities in a lot of other ways. Anyone else whose kid didn’t volunteer?

What grade is your kid in? If they already got into college, I'm not sure what the point is to this. If they are currently a senior, they still have time. What is your kid interested in? Do they have an idea of a major? There are volunteer opportunities in many fields that help support the narrative. I think it looks bad these days if kids don't do any volunteer work if they have the resources to do so.

[Anonymous]

"Volunteering" generally is a vague concept. You can find a variety of volunteer activities. Clean ups, helping kids with science fair, walking dogs at the shelter.

Is there really nothing that piques the kid's interest?

I do think it's a red flag if someone can't find literally anything they'd be willing to do in order to help others. Even as adults, we shovel the elderly neighbors' sidewalks, watch pets for each other, help in emergencies, give blood, etc.

[Anonymous]

*currently a junior

[Anonymous]

Then they get to go to community college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Volunteering" generally is a vague concept. You can find a variety of volunteer activities. Clean ups, helping kids with science fair, walking dogs at the shelter.

Is there really nothing that piques the kid's interest?

I do think it's a red flag if someone can't find literally anything they'd be willing to do in order to help others. Even as adults, we shovel the elderly neighbors' sidewalks, watch pets for each other, help in emergencies, give blood, etc.

agreed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Volunteering" generally is a vague concept. You can find a variety of volunteer activities. Clean ups, helping kids with science fair, walking dogs at the shelter.

Is there really nothing that piques the kid's interest?

I do think it's a red flag if someone can't find literally anything they'd be willing to do in order to help others. Even as adults, we shovel the elderly neighbors' sidewalks, watch pets for each other, help in emergencies, give blood, etc.

agreed

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn’t volunteer or do any community service activities or have impact. The interest has be genuine, authentic. So that box didn’t get checked. That doesn’t mean that they won’t contribute on campus. Kids grow and change and can contribute to their campus/local communities in a lot of other ways. Anyone else whose kid didn’t volunteer?

I think that's the challenge, finding volunteer opportunities that do match a genuine interest. If someone found nothing at all, especially in this time when so many schools require it for graduation, I'd be concerned. It doesn't have to be with a group. It can be done individually.

[Anonymous]

It honestly seems like you'd have try hard these days to not do community service. My kids were required to do some for school, plus all the schools they attended had group service projects frequently. They had requirements for Sunday school, for scouts, national honor society, even sports teams did service projects, etc. They also chose do some on their own over the summer, though I get not everyone has time for that. But still, even if you didn't branch out and do service on your own, how do you get to college app season without ever being required to do something for others? I think that would be a red flag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:*currently a junior

Their school/county doesn’t require service hours?

[Anonymous]

I live in another state and our public school did not require service hours.