The two magic markers, the end of school in June and the Labor Day weekend, expose a social phenomenon that once may have made sense, but no longer does: the volunteer world shuts down for its summer break.
In an agrarian society, summer may have been the busy season, when all hands were needed to do the work and leisure was in shorter supply than it is today. Before air conditioning, it may just have been too darn hot to go out and about doing the world's work beyond what was needed to put food on the table. And back in the day, summer was the time when families took their two weeks at the seashore or whatever else was the vacation option of their choice -- whereas today, at least in my world, folks are more likely to escape in the winter than in the summer. (I can't begin to count the people I know who go to Florida, Arizona, or Palm Springs; compared to the handful who go to the mountains or the shore.)
The human needs that our volunteer work is meant to address don't shut down for the summer -- whether those needs are societal, like feeding the hungry, or personal, like self-fulfillment. So why do we turn the spigot to Off for those ten weeks?
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Sandy Tankoos
Jenine Tankoos
Next Steps Team
rsimkins
Michael Berlin
July 6, 2010 - 7:58pm
Gloria Lustig
I don't think I agree with you. The summer is the time when children go to camp and parents feel some sense of freedom, at least for a short while. Summer is "me" time. People are relaxing, not in tune with their usual schedules and, therefore, less likely to want to begin new projects. In addition, many people are on vacation. I don't know where it is that you live or who your friends are, but I can tell you that in New Jersey the highways are emptier during rush hour, indicating fewer people going to work. Anyone connected to education is on vacation, unless they have picked up a summer job. Even people who are retired -- and I'm not there yet --are hard put to find people in offices willing to work with them on a consistent basis ... they are on vacation.
Once Labor Day comes around, people have had time to renew their spirits and they're ready to resume their normal hustle and bustle. Of course, I will agree that volunteer work should be a 12-month a year obligation, but it's hard to do any real work when everyone around you is "playing." However, if you have accepted an obligtation to do volunteer work during the summer, you should certainly honor that obligation.
July 10, 2010 - 3:32pm
Larry Kaufman
Gloria is describing the same reality that I did -- that the world slows down in the summer. Our difference lies in our attitude towards that reality -- she accepts it as totally natural, while I wish it were different. One reason I feel as I do is that activity of any kind energizes me, and I find that the the less I do, the tireder I get. So, organizers -- bring it on!
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