Young people can help by volunteering

By Joseph Kelly
Contributing writer

In America today, young people feel as though they are not helping as much as they should. They feel guilty that they are so much luckier and better off than a majority of other people. Those people live in poverty and struggle to feed themselves and their families every day, not only in third-world countries, but right here in America as well. A study by the World Bank showed that over 80 percent of the world’s population lives in squalor, going hungry every day. Teens feel powerless when they think they can do nothing for them. However, when we consider all the different ways that we can help them, right here in our own community, we need to start considering that we are not powerless after all.

Volunteering does not just mean a job you do not get paid for. It is also the internal reward you get from helping others. Volunteering is actually a broad range of activities. It can range from aiding in disaster relief to sorting cans at your local food pantry. Some people may say you are not really helping with small jobs like sorting cans. However, small jobs can help out just as much as regular jobs. Without the array of small jobs, no real help could be given.

You do not just have to volunteer to feel like you are contributing. Donations are essential to keeping projects like the SPCA running. Just a few dollars contributed by you can give a village in Africa clean, cholera-free drinking water for a long time.

However, donations do not have to be just monetary, there are also things like canned goods to feed a struggling family, and time. Instead of wasting your time watching mindless television or checking your Facebook status, do something worthwhile. Contributing just a few hours a day to help a person in need is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Even starting a fundraiser for the victims of the Japan earthquake can do much in the long run. Though donating may not be a very glorious form of volunteering, we know we are helping people, and it is that that really matters in the end.

--Joseph Kelly is a freshman at Christian Brothers Academy