Charity vs. Activism

I found Herzberg's article interesting because I found it relatable to my own encounters with service. All my life, I've been surrounded by teachers and adults who continuously preach community service and how important it is to "give back to those in need." With this simplistic phrase, the adults in my life were encouraging charitable acts, which Herzberg claims are the downfall of most acts of service to the community. Charity, while beneficial at times, never makes a lasting impact. In addition, the simple act of bagging up old clothes or making a one-time monetary donation does not bring about a sudden burst of awareness or social consciousness. It will not impact the community in a broader sense, and most certainly will not lead to social change. As Linda Flower explains in her article, a large problem with community outreach today is its history and social context. While donations are seen as a mild and conservative form of service, activism, which is on the other side of the service spectrum, has a deeply negative connotation. This sentiment is proven by the introduction of Bickford's article, which presents a girl who speaks proudly of her time spent picking up trash but is repulsed by the idea of taking an activist's stance, as it would "go against [her] beliefs." This young girl's view on activism is sadly quite representative of society, and the reason why many resort to charity as opposed to adopting more involved roles in an effort to promote real social change.

The high school that I attended was a private Catholic institution. It prided itself on its commitment to servicing the community, and in an effort to enforce their idea of a morally sound and selfless student body, they required that every student engage in a certain amount of community service each year. They claimed that this service would open students' eyes to the many social issues in the area and allow them to actively work toward implementing change. While a few students did get a lot out of their service hours, the majority groaned, seeing the hours as a tedious chore. Others were less quick to lament the assignment, as they saw the acts of community service as an excellent addition to college applications. Upon completion of their allotted hours, each student was assigned a reflection. After reading Herzberg's article, I am sure that teachers received many similar essays with generic and meaningless responses. In learning about service-learning classes and how often their lofty goals fail, I see the importance of a course like this, in which we work with the community in equal partnerships in an effort to encourage understanding and facilitate actual change.