Cultivating the Virtue of Service in Teens

This project aimed to examine considerations in building a habit of service in teens that aligns right motivation with right results. Seeking to evaluate the impact on student character growth in the areas of generosity, empathy and critical thinking via participation in a service-based club, I pulled from existing research to create a working theory for how to ensure the achievement of “good” through service that was shared during the Boston Residential and has been written up in a summary of my findings and experience. The overarching focus was on the need for relationship in a way that prioritizes both sides of the double benefit– recipients and participants; emphasizing dignity and empowerment for the served, and critical engagement for those serving.

The main focus of this work was a High School after school club we dubbed the Service Club. 5-10 students volunteered consistently through the school year, meeting every Tuesday for one hour. Our once-weekly meetings initially aimed to identify social justice issues the residents of our city face and the organisations working to address them. Specifically, we sought to understand how to align our right motivations to serve with right results for the recipients of our acts of service. We also examined the virtues of generosity and gratitude, seeking to ensure that they were enacted rightly and present in the work we did for both servers and those served. To do this effectively, our work centred on evaluating social justice issues through the lens of relationships, specifically by identifying broken relationships causing a situation of need. We then researched existing work being done to address these needs in various ways around our city, determining how the work promoted recipient dignity and empowerment through the lens of built or restored relationships. Next, we reached out to several organisations doing this work and asked for ways to come alongside them. This led to several volunteer opportunities throughout the school year. Service Club students shoveled horse manure, wrapped Christmas presents, handed out Rosca de Reyes and champurrado along with Three Kings Day gifts, filled treat bowls for shelter dogs, and gave up a couple Saturday mornings to run a grocery store and cafe at a food distribution center, to name a few. These opportunities were compiled into a flyer for our high school students in an effort to invite other students into the work leading towards the betterment (read “flourishing”) of our community.

Students who participated revealed a deeper understanding of how to approach service in a way that ensures lasting positive impact for recipients. They also expressed feeling more connected to their community via the relationships they were able to build with the people they served and served alongside. It is our shared hope that the work we did and the lessons we learned will prompt others to serve more frequently, approaching community needs with critical engagement and a willingness to build lasting relationships leading to shared prosperity– flourishing together.