Topic 1: Introduction to Community Service Projects

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Define community service
2. Identify the goals of community service projects.
3. Explain the importance of community service.
4. Predicts the implications of community service to
individuals
5. Prepare yourself as a volunteer; and
6. Select target groups.
Organisation of topic

-Begins with explanation of the concept of community

service.
-Discussion on the readiness of someone who wants
to be a volunteer.
-Explains the importance of community service.
-Explains functions of an individual in community service
besides identifying the target group that becomes the main
subject in the community service project.
-Explains the implications of community service to
individuals.
- The importance of community service is explained.
Content Summary
The Concept of Community Service project

Definition

Community service is social work that is carried out in

Groups and has goals as well as has particular purposes.

Community service if implemented properly will certainly

produce some useful outputs and products.
Goals of Community Service Projects
a. Foster a sense of love and togetherness among individuals
towards the surrounding community.
b. Cultivate and apply the knowledge, skills and practice of
civics value in each individual.
c. Contribute in the form of energy and skills to the
community and the nation.
d. Develop personality and understand the concept of
cooperation and helping one another.
e. Nurture the spirit of living together in a community
regardless of race, religion, beliefs or ideology.
f. Be a citizen who is patriotic, caring and responsible
towards the society and nation; and
g. Practise a healthy lifestyle and always active in helping others
in need.
Themes

a. Educational responsibility
b. Community development
c. Health
d. Disaster management
e. Information technology
f. Social entrepreneurship
g. Well-being of society
h. Innovation, art and culture; and
i. sports
Focuses

a. Project to clean the university/college/schools/

kindergarten areas.
b. Project to beautify the school area.
c. Project t clean the recreational area.
d. Project to clean the cemetery.
e. Project to clean the village community halls.
f. Community service projects at orphanages
g. Community service projects at the Old Folks’ Home; and
h. Other community service projects either in school,
village, town and national levels.
Importance of Community Service
a. Improve knowledge and skills in solving people’s problems.
Participants or volunteers can learn about related issues in-depth;
b. Nurture a sense of love and togetherness in individuals towards the
surrounding community;
c. Form personality and understand the concept of cooperation and
helping in the community.
d. Inculcate the spirit of living together in a community, regardless of
race, religion, beliefs and ideology.
e. Practise a healthy lifestyle and always active in helping others who
are in need.
f. Become citizens who are patriotic, concerned and responsible
towards society and nation; and
g. Increase the belief in community organisation and governance.
Working together to enhance communication and understanding.
Find out what the government, people, community leaders and
organisations can and cannot do to reduce conflict in the future.
Implications of Community Service Projects to individuals
-Project positive input the self-development of each individual
Benefits
a. The community service activities which are carried out together
will create a sense of understanding and strengthen self-esteem.
b. Activities that have been well-planned will have an impact on
personal health in terms of physical and spiritual aspects.
c. Activities implemented jointly in a community that is made up of
various ethnic groups will result in a stronger sense of tolerance
and strengthen the unity among the ethnic groups.
d. Create a sense of consideration and love for other people,
especially for the disabled and elderly people.
e. The community service activity which is in the form of communal
work will reduce the cost of implementation.
f. Create a deeper sense of neigbourhood and understanding among
the society in a neighbourhood area.
g. Produce citizens of good heart and are patriotic and love the country.
Self-Readiness as a Volunteer

Definition of Volunteer
Volunteers can be defined as the readiness to get involved in
voluntary work.

Criteria to become a Volunteer

1. To have a positive mindset to serve the particular section of the
society.
2. Should have an interest, concern and a tendency to contribute
physical energy, share interests and experience to a target
group or a particular community groups.
The readiness of the volunteers may be motivated by several
factors such as;

a. The work performed is voluntary without expecting any rewards

from certain parties.
b. Volunteer activities must bring benefits to a community group
and not limited to themselves only; and
c. The voluntary work that has been carried out was not to get
financial reward or be shown to public.
Activities that enable an individual to become a volunteer
such as:

a. Assist victims when natural disasters or calamities happen.

b. Becomes the tutor or teacher to guide children of the poor;
and
c. Patrolling at night in the vicinity of the neighbourhood.

The United Nations has set 5th December every year as

International Volunteer Day in recognition of the contributions
of volunteers and recognise voluntary work done by
Volunteers.
Target Groups(Implementers & Recipients of Benefits)
-The learner as the implementing group as enshrined in National
Philosophy of Education

National Philosophy of Education

Education in Malaysia is an on-going effort to further develop the

Potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner so as
to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally
and physically balanced and harmonious based on firm belief in
and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce
Malaysian citizens of high moral standards, knowledgeable and
competent and who are responsible and capable of achieving a high
level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to
the harmony and betterment of the family, society and the nation
at large.
In the Malaysia Blueprint 2015-2025 (Higher Education) in Shift One
states that

Holistic, Entrepreneurial and Balanced Graduates.

The shift is important since each graduate is poised to become a

global citizen with pride of Malaysia who shines and willing to sacrifice
for the sake of harmony and well-being of the family, society, country
and global.
The proposed group of benefit recipients are as follows:

a. Elderly
b. Persons with disabilities(OKU)
c. Orphans
d. Vagrant (geladangan)
e. Poor
f. Indigenous/remote people
g. Single mothers; and
h. Students and others
Study Questions

1. Explain the meaning of Community Service in your own

words.
2. Discuss the importance of Community Service.
3. Recently, you have received an invitation as a speaker
in conjunction with national level senior Citizen day organised
by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community in
Putrajaya. The title of the talk is “The Role of
Undergraduate Students in Contributing Community
Service to the Elderly.” Before you give the talk, outline the
draft of the talk and discuss with your course mates at
myINSPIRE to obtain feedback from them.