Instead of weathering the job market or the classroom, more students are opting to spend months at a time building houses or teaching underprivileged children.
According to a report by USA Today, college students and graduates are volunteering for longer periods of time. While the number of college-aged volunteers has decreased from 2009-2010, a study conducted by Volunteering in America showed the average hours each student is volunteering has increased.
“I think some students, upon graduation, may not know what to do, so they see these opportunities as chances to learn and grow,” said Allie Pisching, an MBA student and graduate assistant for community service in OU’s Campus Involvement Center.
A popular volunteer option for college students is the national organization Teach for America, which provides recent college graduates with a stipend to teach for two years in classrooms around the country. Teach for America received a record 48,000 applications in 2011, compared with 35,000 in 2009.
“I found out about Teach for America my junior year, and when I talked to the recruitment director, they asked if I wanted the internship for this year,” said Jess Jones, a senior studying integrated language arts and OU’s campus campaign coordinator for Teach for America. “So I applied and got the position, and in November, I applied for a teaching position, got in and will be teaching in Colorado next school year.”
Other long-term volunteer organizations such as AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross have also noted increases in applications from college-aged students. AmeriCorps saw a rise of 176,000 applications between 2009 and 2010.
“I think there has been an increase because students are realizing that they can make a difference in their community,” said Rebecca Fischer, a junior studying middle childhood math and education and president of OU’s Habitat for Humanity chapter. “Especially with OU Habitat, students volunteering is going straight back into the Athens community. I think that after students volunteer, they understand the importance of the work they are doing and want to continue to be a positive factor in their community or around the world.”
Jones added that the economy might also be playing a role in the higher rates of volunteer work among college-aged people.
“The problem facing our generation right now that is so crucial is poverty,” she said. “A way to solve poverty is to reach out and help. I actually think more and more people are thinking, 'Hey, this is working', so instead of jumping into grad school or the job market, I think more students will continue to volunteer.”
Despite the economic climate, Pisching said volunteering could also help students when it comes time to hunt for jobs.
“In this day and age, where everyone is going to college and everyone has similar resumés, employers are going to look for something that sets that applicant apart,” she said. “Community service is a way of giving yourself to something else. Those who do community service have a passion, and employers see and recognize that.”
College students say they don’t plan to stop volunteering in the coming years.
“I think volunteering will continue to grow amongst students in the future,” Fischer said. “I think that there is such a mass amount of organizations around Ohio — especially in Athens — that are volunteer-based, that students are passionate about. And I think once students realize the impact, then they will continue to volunteer.”
jf392708@ohiou.edu
