Teamwork!

How long do you think it takes to revitalize a school? Three months? Two weeks? Three days?

I’ve seen it done in six hours.

In six hours I have seen volunteers, who are in no way experts or specially trained, transform buildings with no life and give these places a breath of fresh air. I have seen schools, shelters, transitional housing facilities, and community shelters all revived before my eyes. Colorful murals, breathtaking gardens, freshly painted line games and planter murals created all in the short time span of six hours.

How is this possible? My answer is simple, teamwork.

Yes, there is a great amount of planning that goes into these projects, as there is with any other event. However, what really drives a project are the people and how well they work together.

Over the last two months as the Corporate Service Coordinator at Jersey Cares I have been fortunate enough to always work with groups who naturally follow their basic human instincts and seek the help of their peers. As soon as the introductions are done, the directions are explained, and the groups are separated into their projects and grab their supplies; the first sentence I almost always hear is, “how are we going to do this?” From the moment the project gets into motion, everyone is thinking as a group and knows that the project cannot be done alone nor can it be done without communication.

Teamwork is the key in these projects and it ultimately is what drives these projects towards success. What many people may not realize is that volunteering does a lot more than just helping the community. It also brings people together and strengthens the bonds in the community as well. Whether it’s people in your work place, your friends, your family, or even strangers; civic service naturally brings people together and helps everyone recognize the importance of teamwork.

Team effort is what beautified all those schools, shelters, and community centers. Team effort is what assembled all those kits, served all those meals, and what ultimately brought smiles to hundreds of peoples’ faces. Teamwork is what drives our community and I hope, it inspires YOU to help make a difference.

 - Sarah Lansey

Generation Me on Service...

We are all aware of the terms “baby boomers”, “Generation X”, and “Generation Y” but are you aware that a new generation has been coined?  Well, there has been.  Many psychologists have coined the term “Generation Me,” or “GenMe” for short.  According to psychologist Jean Twenge, GenMe folks are more confident, assertive, entitled, and more miserable than ever before[i].  You are probably thinking, what in the world does this have to do with service??  In fact, Generation Me’s have a lot to do with service!  Last year alone there was dramatic increase in the number of recent graduates devoting a year or more to serve others in one of the nations many service organizations, such as AmeriCorps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, or the Peace Corps.  This causes one to think, what is it that has made a generation so entitled and self-absorbed (that they feel the need to “tweet” or Facebook their every move) serve others?  To be honest, there is no one answer to this question, but as a GenMe, I am going to do my best to answer it. 

It has been forty-four days since my fellow AmeriCorps and I began to eat, sleep and breathe service.  Throughout the last month and a half, I have planned and staffed nearly twenty service projects, all of which were being vastly different from the next. However, one content remained the same, the number of students, young professionals, and yes, even kids, willing to take time out of their busy lives to give back to their community at large.  This got me thinking of the increase in individuals dedicating time after college to service.  Are young people getting more involved in service due to social influences around them such as the First Lady’s, because it makes them look good, or in fact because they have the drive and passion to make a difference, no matter how small.  Even in an office full of individuals devoted to making a difference, the reasoning behind doing what we do is unique to the individual.  For me, it’s a combination of beliefs bestowed upon me during my years of education as well as personal experiences and aspirations that have drawn me to a world full of service and giving to the community.  With the goal of becoming an International Human Rights attorney, there is no better way for me to spend the transitional year between my undergraduate career and law school then to work for a non-profit such as Jersey Cares, which is devoted to engaging individuals in service by making it as accessible and easy as possible.

It has been my privilege to serve as a young volunteer through Jersey Cares.  I look forward to seeing my fellow recent graduates engage in acts of service as well.

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[i]  (Twenge, 2006)

-Paul Renaud

Jersey Cares AmeriCorps Member