Community service in place of one year at university

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07 Feb 2010

So many students leave university without knowing what to expect from the 'real world'. As a result many graduates stumble into jobs and career paths that they don't identify with or feel passionate about. Their primary concern is getting out of debt and then making enough money to get on the property ladder. This leaves little space to consider bigger societal issues, or to instigate change.

So why substitute a year of university study for community service? I feel that this would facilitate great personal growth, whilst simultaneously providing a service to society. It would promote a greater sense of community and nationalism. It would broaden the perspective of youth to instill a more considered and caring approach to adult life.

Examples of such community service could be:

- Cleaning rivers, beaches and parks.
- Planting trees.
- Teaching/mentoring children with learning difficulties.
- Caring for the elderly in nursing homes.
- Assisting staff who care for sick people in hospices.
- Working in local libraries.
- Caring for animals in shelters.
- Fundraising/collecting clothes etc for charities.
- Helping local emergency services.

I'm sure people will have plenty of ideas to add to this list.

By taking this year of community service before starting university, students would hopefully have a more considered and mature approach to their lives and their studies. This as opposed to arriving in Freshers Week and being so overwhelmed by new found freedom that socialsing and drinking take first precedence over studying.

The money saved from a year's amount of student loans could go a long way to facilitating this proposal.