Service for A Good Life

Mission church construction mission, led by young adults ages 17-24

I am a millennial. Though many older adults have a negative perspective towards my generation, I don’t believe we are as hopeless and immoral as they make us out to be. Many of us are genuinely nice people. People still perform random acts of kindness. Among our generation, smoking has decreased and tolerance of other ethnicities, races, gender identities, and religions has increased. However, there is always room for improvement.

The amount of civic and social capital produced by Generations X, Y, and Z has declined over the years, as involvement and membership in local organizations and clubs has decreased, even driving some to extinction (Putnam). Though we are participating in a worldwide increase in social media activism, this alone is not effective in generating much physical presence at social events and political protests, which Gladwell states motivates people to do the things that people do when they are not motivated enough to make a real sacrifice, such as donating a dollar online for Syrian refugees rather than protesting for a day in Washington D.C. for the same cause.

Both sides of activism are equally important, and need to be in balance in order for high amounts of civic and social capital to be reached. Political and humane organizations and clubs need two things:

1. Financial backing and popularity in order to function and to raise awareness for their causes. This is currently done through the internet and social media.
2. Physical membership and involvement in order to motivate politicians and local governments to action. Members are needed to attend club meetings, host fundraisers, and participate in events and protests.

A balance between the two will ensure that organizations have the awareness and active membership  that they need to achieve specific efforts and fundraising goals. Though much of our generation is currently more active on social media than in memberships of organizations, many that are currently involved find great personal fulfillment and would participate in said activities again and again, some in the hope that in the future they too will benefit from other nonprofit organizations in the future. This principle of generated reciprocity can not only aid our local municipal, religious, educational, athletic, and destitute communities,  but also help young people to care and help people other than themselves. Our American culture of individualism is defeated when youth go out of their way to serve others and to help others around them, without expecting something back (Tocqueville).

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. "Small Change - The New Yorker." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2010. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

Simon, and Schuster. "Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival of American Community." New York Times on the Web. New York Times, 2000. Web. 7 Feb. 2016.

Tocqueville. "Tocqueville Reading." Canvas. Instructure. Web. 7 Feb. 2016.