Community service is a donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a

group of people for the benefit of the public or institutions. The community of ALAKAHIA

was cleared of dirty by students of the faculty of biological science, University of

Port Harcourt. Instruments such as rakes, brooms, shovels and so on were used during the cleanup. Two big metallic wastes

were donated by the students to the community.

A COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT AT ALAKAHIA COMMUNITY.

UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

AGGREH ERHOVWON PETERU2011/5555010

TABLE OF CONTENT

ABSTRACT

LIST OF FIGURES

REFERENCES

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Definition of community service

1.3 Importance of community service in general terms

1.3.1 It is good for you

1.3.2 It saves resources

1.3.3 Volunteers gain professional experience

1.3.4 It brings people together

1.3.5 It promotes personal growth and self esteem

1.3.6 Volunteering strengthen you community

1.3.7 You learn a lot

1.3.8 You get a chance to give back

1.3.9 Volunteering encourages civic responsibility

1.3.10 You make a difference

1.4 Materials, methods and pictures

1.5 Recommendations

LIST OF FIGURES

1.1 A dirty environment in the community of Alakahia

1.2 A cleanup dirty environment in Alakahia community

ABSTRACT

Community service is a donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or institutions. The community of ALAKAHIA was cleared of dirty by students of the faculty of biological science, University of Port Harcourt. Instruments such as rakes, brooms, shovels and so on were used during the cleanup. Two big metallic waste was donated by the students to the community.

1.1 INTRODUCTION

This course is all about an involuntary work that was performed by a group of students from the

faculty of biological sciences in the University of Port Harcourt.

This work was performed at one of the three communities that the University is located (the

community of ALAKAHIA). The aim of achievement in the work performed was to clean up the

environment from all dirty.

When someone performs an action which benefits his or her community, it is known as

community service. Some people associate community service with punishment, since it is often

offered to small offenders as an alternative to fines or jail time. However community service can

also be altruistic and it is a vital part of many small communities. Getting involved in your

community makes it healthier and livelier, and numerous organizations around the world support

community service activities.

1.2 DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

From the little introduction above, no doubt one may or must have gotten a clue of what

community service is. I only want to go a little bit in details so that the information will be made

clearer.

As already defined, when someone performs an action which benefits his or community, it is

known as community service. Community service is a donated service or activity that is

performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or institutions.

Performing community service is not the same as volunteering, since it is not always done

voluntarily. It may be done for reasons:

1. Government may require it as a part of citizenship right requirements.

2. Courts may demand it in lieu of or in addition to other criminal justice.

3. School may mandate it to meet the requirement of class service learning or to meet the

requirement of graduation as it applied in our case.

Things which could be considered community service include tutoring children, building homes

in low income areas with HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, assisting the elderly, being a museum

docent, performing habitat restoration, contributing to the operations of volunteer fire

departments and emergency unit, cleaning up the environment, or helping with civil

beautification. In all cases, people who carried out community service are not paid for their time.

For people who are given community service work as punishment or sentence, it can be an

opportunity to atone for their crimes. Others engage in community service out of spirit of

ALTRUISM, or a desire to connect their communities by helping out. Every community needs

such spirit to exist.

1.3 IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY IN GENERAL TERMS

1. For people who are new to a community, community service can be a great way to learn more

about the place they live and the people they live with.

2. Many people engage in community service because they believe that it carries rewards beyond

the obvious and tangible. Clearly, engaging in things like environmental restoration, civic

beautification and environmental cleanup will make life enjoyable by making the world around

you more pleasant

3. Community service help to ensure that important service like meals for elderly and volunteer

fire departments continue to run

4. It helps to build a rich and supportive community of people who know each other and lend

each other a hand when it is needed.

5. For law victims whose offence is very light and may not be able to afford money to pay for his

or her jail terms as imposed on them by the judge, community service stands as a good

alternative.

At this juncture, I want to categorically say that though community service may be both

voluntarily and involuntarily, it is very important for one to engage in community service. It only

not benefits the community as large but have direct effect to anyone who partakes in it.

Below are ten top reasons why an individual should volunteer his or self for a community service

work.

1.3.1 IT IS GOOD FOR YOU: Volunteering provides physical and mental rewards. It reduces

stress: Experts report that when you focus on something other than yourself, it interrupts usual

tension producing patterns.

Makes you healthier: Moods and emotions, like optimism, joy, and control over one’s fate,

strengthen the immune system

1.3.2 IT SAVES RESOURCES: Volunteering provides valuable community services so more

money can be spent on local improvements.

1.3.3 VOLUNTEERS GAIN PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: through involving in such

exercise, one can test out a career.

1.3.4 IT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER: As a volunteer you assist in bringing people

together in uniting people from diverse backgrounds to work together toward a common goal and

also in building camaraderie and team work.

1.3.5 IT PROMOTES PERSONAL GROWTH AND SELF ESTEEM: understanding

community needs helps foster empathy and self-efficacy.

1.3.6 VOLUNTEERING STRENGTHEN YOUR COMMUNITY

1.3.7 YOU LEARN A LOT: Volunteers learn things like this:

Self: volunteers discover hidden talents that may change your view on yourself worth and life in

general.

Government: through working with local non- profit agencies, volunteers learn about the

function and operation of our government.

Community: volunteers gain knowledge of local resources available to solve community needs.

1.3.8 YOU GET A CHANCE TO GIVE BACK: People like to support community resources

that they use themselves or that benefit people that they care about.

1.3.9 VOLUNTEERING ENCOURAGES CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY: Community service

and volunteerism are an investment in our community and the people who live in it.

1.3.10 YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Every body count!

1.4 MATERIALS, METHOD AND PICTURES

As I have said before in my introduction, the community service performed by us was carried out

in ALAKAHIA COMMUNITY. The point of interest was to clean up the ALAKAHIA

environment. This was achieved by a collective work and division into groups of all the faculty

biological students allocated to various areas of the community supervised by the coordinators

that were present.

Success was achieved by the use of the following working equipment

1. Rakes

2. Cutlasses

3. Shovels

4. Wheelbarrow

5. Chemicals for killing weeds

6. Lab coat

7. Nose mask

8. Hand gloves.etc.

A two big metallic waste bin was also provided for the community by the students. This was

accepted by a representative and chief security officer of the community.

Below is a picture of a part in the ALAKAHIA community that was dirty and was cleaned up by

the group I was allocated to.

Fig 1.1 A dirty environment in the community of Alakahia

Fig 1.2 A cleaned up dirty environment in Alakahia community

1.5 RECOMMENDATION

The government or concerned bodies should from time to time assist students or volunteers with

working equipment to help in the service(s) rendering.

1.6 CONCLUSION

So far so good it has been a ride into the world of self-sacrifice. So many things have been said

about what community service is, it benefits to the individual and the community at large, there

is a key note in which I will like to end this writing with, and according to Anthony Robbins in

one of his favorite quote He said thus “IT IS NOT WHAT WE GET. BUT WHO WE BECOME,

WHAT WE CONTRIBUTE…… THAT GIVES MEANING TO OUR LIVES”. We can now

understand that to make meaning to our lives, we need to play important roles by contributing

our own part at all times for the growth and development of our community whether we are paid

for such services or not. One way of achieving such goal has been the subject of discusses titled

“COMMUNITY SERVICE”. THANKS.

1.7 REFERENCES

Oxford advance learners dictionary eight edition

Webster dictionary

Wikipedia

Wisegeek writings on what is community service?

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