Volunteering hits 30-year high in U.S.

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who volunteer to mentor students, beautify neighborhoods and pitch in after disasters is at a 30-year high, fueled in part by a boom in teen participation, a new study says.

The report by the Corporation for National and Community Service tracked volunteer rates since 1974. It found that more than 1 in 4 adults — or 27 percent — give time to their communities, a jump from a low of 20.4 percent recorded in 1989.

Teens aged 16 to 19 saw the biggest jump, with 28.4 percent volunteering compared to just 13.4 percent in 1989.

Service among midlife adults (ages 45 to 64) and senior citizens (ages 65 and over) remained strong at 30 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively. The study, which was to be released today, credits higher education levels, delayed childbearing and longer life expectancy.

"We are encouraged that emerging studies consistently show increased volunteering by young Americans. If supported properly, we may be on the cusp of a new civic generation," said Robert Grimm, director of research and policy development at the corporation.

The group, which promotes volunteering through federal programs such as Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America, attributed increased volunteering among youths to a rise in service-learning programs in schools and colleges that combine classroom study with community work.

Increased altruism in response to disasters such as the Sept. 11 attacks also have played a role, Grimm said.

The report analyzed volunteering rates in 1974, 1989 and 2003-2005, using information collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It also found:

• More adult volunteers serve through religious organizations (35.5 percent) than through other types of groups such as schools (24.6 percent).

• Baby boomers are volunteering in greater numbers, accounting for a 37 percent increase in participation among midlife adults since 1989.

• Older adults tend to volunteer more intensively, serving 100 or more hours a year. In contrast, most teens (67.9 percent) contribute more sporadically, amounting to 99 or fewer hours a year.

"America needs more volunteers to mentor and tutor at-risk youth, care for seniors, respond to disasters and meet a wide range of other critical needs," said David Eisner, CEO of the organization.

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Pre-write:
What I thought of this article was that it is amazing how people, even more so teens are participating in community service more than ever before. Even though this article does not explain about what mentoring is, it shows how people are now working for the better. Mentoring is defined by served as trust by counselor or teacher. What that means to me is that mentoring is a form of teaching through someone else with knowledge. Even people like you and me can be a mentor, by helping a child or adult and giving a part of our day to touch someones life. People began doing community service which is a good way to show the affect of mentoring, and how it has an impact on our life.

Post-write:
I do not believe we had class that day, but from what I understood, mentoring is extremely important because we need mentoring on a day to day life because mentoring is to teach someone that you know to others, something like what teachers do.

Application:
Mentoring is important, during school we need to practice mentoring, teachers help the students by giving us information that we know, we also have mentor groups which gives people a chance to talk to the teacher and discuss problems, or learn.