After class hours, teens learn the values of volunteerism

March 12, 2024 10:30 pm | Updated 10:30 pm IST

To give one’s time for the benefit of society will ideally have to come from within, but when one is young, footloose and fancy free, it’s rare that one wants to spend time doing so. That is why colleges give students a leg-up, to help turn their attention to the underprivileged as well.

Students are given an opportunity to volunteer in the neighbourhoods, helping senior citizens, persons with special needs, or children from underprivileged families, who need extra support after school hours to understand lessons. The National Service Scheme (NSS) is functional in all colleges, but it is not mandatory for students to be part of it. Being part of the NSS helps to add to the co-curricular activities and attracts employers too. There are some colleges that mandate that students volunteer as part of their college work. Volunteerism per se pays and it’s not just adding brownie points to the résumé. When we say it pays, it helps to develop leadership skills, team work and empathy, which will come in handy at workplace.

Credit hours

At Loyola College, students must take it up as a programme in their second and third year through the School of Service Learning. Students must do a certain number of credit hours. E. Anand, assistant professor in the college, says students are assigned a certain locality. They assist children with their studies; help elders access their old age pension or get them medicines; and help persons with disabilities access their benefits from the relevant department. Sometimes it could be running errands such as paying the electricity bills at the EB office or taking a person to hospital, Mr. Anand adds.

Cleaning drive

The Government Arts College for Men at Nandanam recently organised a spring cleaning drive. Principal Jothi Venkateswaran said the students were at the forefront of the campus cleaning. They not only learned the importance of keeping the campus clean but also learned the value of a clutter-free environment, he said.

Justice Basheer Ahmed College for Women requires students to do 16 hours of volunteering during the undergraduate study. T. V. Vimala, a second-year B.Sc Statistics student, is the volunteer coordinator in her college. She says students did more than the mandated hours last year. They spent time with children in the paediatric ward of the Cancer Institute. Students pooled money to buy gifts for underprivileged children during Christmas.

Lack of opportunities

She also teaches conversational English to students in aided schools at T. Nagar. “I was an introvert. But I became more forthcoming when I started volunteering. I developed contacts, built networking skills, and sought out people on my own. When I started teaching students I realised I had stereotyped students from government and aided schools. But teaching them taught me that they did not have the opportunities I had for learning,” she said.