Volunteerism

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, under the byline of Mark Naymik, carried a story concerning Cleveland, Ohio, Boy Scout Troop 983.  After 25 years, the troop is folding. In his article, (http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2012/04/cleveland_is_losing_a_piece_of.html), Mr. Naymik states the troop is folding because of apathy.  You see, no one has stepped up to take over from the current leaders, who have been there from the beginning. The current leaders have attempted to find replacements for nearly a year, yet no one has stepped forward. It’s a shame that the community hasn’t stepped up.  Troop 983 is an inner-city troop and the Scouts come mainly from homes where there is only one parent or grandparents are raising the Scouts.

Kids need positive adult role models. They need those role models to mold their character, teach them right-from-wrong, and most importantly, be their champion. But if the role models aren’t in the home, where do kids find them? TV no longer has strong father figures like Ward Cleaver or Howard Cunningham.  The TV role models today are slackers, shirkers, and thugs. And positive female role models on TV are pretty scarce, too.  Sports figures, movie stars, and music stars, while idols to millions of our youth, are often poor role models.  Pick a few famous names, do a Google search, and you’ll see an abundance of misbehaviors in the results.

Charles Barkley famously stated in a Nike commercial, “I am not a role model.” While it raised quite a controversy, viewing Barkley as another spoiled, overpaid athlete, many failed to realize his true message. Barkley called for parents and teachers to quit looking to him to “raise your kids” and instead be role models themselves. If we can’t rely on parents to be role models, what can we do?

A study documented on the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine website found there is a strong relationship between adolescents having an adult mentor and a decreased participation in risky behaviors such as smoking, illicit drug use, risky sexual practices, and the carrying of weapons.  A Juvenile Justice System Bulletin, published by the Department of Justice in 1997, documented the effect of mentoring on youth participating in Big Brother/Big Sister programs.  That study found that mentored youth were 46% less likely to initiate drug use, 27% were less likely to initiate alcohol use, and 52% were less likely to be truant than youth who weren’t mentored.  The statistics are just as relevant today.

There’s the answer. Be a role model, be a mentor and set an example.  Volunteer to read to children in a school or library reading program. Volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or Cub Scouts.  Be a Big Brother or Big Sister. Teach Sunday School. Coach a community league sports team.  If you volunteer that most precious of commodities, your time, you are likely to create a legacy that last far longer than your name on a hunk of granite in a cemetery.

I pray that someone steps forward to serve as leaders for Troop 983.  Boy Scouts is one program that sets a standard of conduct that has molded many of our leaders and achievers.  Time is a commodity that gives a greater return than money.  Your simple act of volunteerism will leave a mark on the community that grows exponentially with each youth that you mentor and every person they influence.  What worries me is that the same apathy can happen in my town.  If we are to save our communities, save our country, we have to start by saving our youth.