For many high schools and colleges, volunteering is often mandatory for advancement in your grade level or for passing a class. As far as I know, in Chicago Public Schools, forty hours of volunteering are the minimum number of hours in order to graduate from high school. Many students may find it unnecessary and a waste of time, especially if they can’t find anything they’re interested in — that can be pretty dull for forty hours. However, if utilized properly, these forty hours can be a valuable experience in your life. Personally, I was involved in a program in high school that required an additional 100 hours on top of the 40 hours for Chicago Public Schools. At first, I was just like how am I ever going to do this? But eventually I got it done over one summer volunteering at my local library. However, even after that, I continued to be involved in a variety of service learning projects since I got involved in a club focusing on this aspect. Honestly, I feel like it broadened my horizons a lot and was rather beneficial in the end so if you’re one of those who still haven’t dealt with the forty hours, try looking for something you’d be interested in — it goes much faster, trust me.
- Vivian