As June comes to a close and the buzz of excitement for the upcoming break permeates the school air, many of us have begun mapping out our plans for the next two months. For some, vacations to Europe and cruise ships to tropical islands are in the books. Others have internships, prep classes, and jobs lined up. And, of course, long video game sessions and sporadic trips to nearby cafes and beaches are available for the more laidback. No matter the circumstances, we all have, at the very least, created a general idea for our summer plans. But while internships and vacations remain popular choices, another option remains waiting to be explored: community service.
The thought of volunteering, especially as students finally free from the burdens of school—and only for a limited time at that—may trigger a knee-jerk “no” as a response. After all, who wouldn’t rather spend their summer soaking in the sun and exploring their own interests?
However, helping out with local causes can stand to be equally, if not more fulfilling. And volunteering encompasses far more activities than working within an archetypal soup-kitchen-style environment. Long Island alone houses countless opportunities to explore; even just within Great Neck South, students have been able to help build up local organizations that support a range of causes. And these can help foster the same memorable experiences and lifelong skills that any other summer activity can provide—but with the additional benefit of being able to help others in the process.
Junior Jordyn Wong, a volunteer badminton coach working under the Nassau County Police Activity League (NCPAL) at Lakeville Elementary School, shared that she largely tries to involve herself in activities that “involve helping others grow and finding out what they like doing.” Having spent the past two years as a seasonal coach, she was able to quickly pick up a variety of responsibilities, including the formulation of group lesson plans and providing one-on-one assistance with individual participants. These activities don’t just benefit the children she coaches either: “Volunteering impacts me personally in a way where I can see those who I help grow while also knowing that I’m doing something good for them,” she said. “I find volunteering to be a rewarding activity.”
In addition to badminton, the NCPAL offers many other sports programs, including basketball, pickleball, lacrosse, and volleyball—all of which serve to teach beginner athletes ages 8-14 and are open to student volunteers. In general, demand for those able to communicate with and coach younger children is high.
At the same time, being a people person is by no means a necessity in other community service activities. Volunteering doesn’t mean having to give up any other obligations, either. Junior Siying Chen plans to juggle both a research internship and weekly volunteer sessions in the coming summer break. “I got accepted into a college program, and I’m trying to make it fit in my schedule so that I can still work at the animal shelter,” she said.
The North Shore Animal League, where Chen plans to work, claims to be the “world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization,” and is just a train ride and short walk away for most students. “I’ve adopted cats and I’ve loved all animals since I was a kid, so I really want to spend my time there,” she said. “It’s something I actually love doing, and it feels nice to be able to help and learn because I’ve always had my own pets.”
Junior Katie Yang, who has been a long-standing member of the Great Neck branch of the Alliance of Youth Leaders in the United States (AYLUS), originally joined the organization for the opposite reason: “I originally was just looking for something to do on the weekends because I felt like I wasn’t really managing my time well, and that’s why I joined [AYLUS].”
“It’s cool because there’s so many different activities,” she said. Among them are manually removing invasive plant species in nearby parks, fundraising at local events, and providing free tutoring services for students struggling with school. “I got to try a little bit of everything, which sort of showed me what I was good at and what I actually liked to do. And it’s a fun way to spend time with your friends if you don’t have anything else to do.”
There’s an organization and a local cause for everyone, and even if one can’t be found on Long Island, living a short distance away from the largest city in the world provides us with essentially unlimited options. I personally will be spending my free time working with ReWild Long Island—a Port Washington-based organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity and climate change—for the second year in a row. This entails spending a few days a week helping out with weeding and garden maintenance while working with students from various schools.
Otherwise, local hospitals, fire departments, pantries, political campaigns and charity organizations are always looking for new applicants. While summer break might seem fleeting, and we may not want our time to “go to waste” by doing activities that don’t directly benefit ourselves, the impacts of our actions can go far beyond personal gratification—though such a feeling often comes with giving back to our community. Everyone possesses the ability to be a force for change, and such work often isn’t as boring or difficult as we may first expect. The coming months serve as the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience and a sense of social responsibility—but it’s up to us to seize these opportunities and find our purpose within the scope of our community.
