A Spirit of Volunteerism and Responsibility

Hello again Everyone! I’ve decided that instead of writing out one very long article (or rewriting my first post), I would address my points in installments. I am doing this because 1) I have a full time job that needs to get done and a lot of personal responsibilities. I simply don't have time to write longer pieces in one sitting and, 2) I would like to keep you entertained and interested.



When I first discussed my blog with my mother, she brought up a valid point about her generation. She expressed her concern that my generation is not protesting the war in Iraq the same way her generation protested the war in Vietnam. Many people in our parents’ generation see us as a lazy and apathetic bunch that is more concerned with self-searching and seeking pleasure than starting our adult lives. I remember when I was getting ready to graduate from college with a degree in philosophy, my mother feared that I would leave the US and spend my life meditating on a mountain in Tibet.


There are a few things that our parents' generation does not understand about our generation. The first is that we have the benefit of the Internet. We can express our ideas, annoyances and feelings through a forum that can reach to the ends of the earth. This is far more effective than protesting. We form groups on Facebook, respond to message boards and quickly send around emails. Just because you can’t physically see us ranting and raving outside (like the tea partiers) does not mean we are apathetic and unaware (it was our enormous turnout at the polls, in fact, that got Barack Obama elected).


The second thing I want to bring up: The 20-something generation volunteers in enormous numbers. In fact, many of us (myself included) have dedicated our careers and lives to making the world a better place. Last year, 17% of Harvard’s graduating class applied to Teach for America. My friend Melissa Korn wrote the following article for the Wall Street Journal: "Brother, Can You Spare Some Time?" last November. (Kudos to my 20-something friend and former coworker Kathleen for being the first person profiled in this article). As the article states “the rate of volunteerism among those 20 to 24 increased by nearly half between 1989 and 2005, to 18.7%. Among those age 25 to 34, the participation rate climbed to 23.4% from 20.2%.” I would guess that is has grown even more in the last five years.

When I attend volunteering events, the older generation is noticeably absent. 20-somethings realize that they have arrived into a less-than-perfect world and do not want to be the generation that keeps the status quo. In fact, we simply cannot. We are burdened with a huge sense of responsibility to the world around us. I get upset when my parent's generation sees our volunteering as some sort of trivial floundering around and delaying of life, or as Robin Marantz Henig put it in her article, "meandering." You had kids--that was your responsibility. And to the women of the 50-somethings generation--you got jobs and laid the groundwork for women in the workplace. Thank you for that. For many of us, our equivalent responsibility for our 20s decade is making the world a bit better. I know that when I graduated from college, I remember feeling morally obligated to forge a career path that wouldn't necessarily make me a lot of money, but that would better the world around me. That is why I ultimately decided to do Teach for America upon graduating. In her article Henig uses Teach for America as an example of one way in which we 20-somethings "forestall" our adult lives. I'm sure anyone who has ever been a part of TFA finds this to be one big slap in the face: being in charge of a classroom full of under served students is one of the most difficult responsibilities someone can take on.


This sense of responsibility is also part of the reason why law firms have dramatically grown their Pro Bono departments in the last 12 years--among other things, they realize that if they want to recruit the top law students, they had better have opportunities for the students to give back to their world. Our generation feels compelled to do this. The current economy, environmental policies, education system, and medical system are simply not sustainable.

So, maybe we are not well represented at political rallies. Maybe we’re not protesting the war as much as the generations before us did. But we aren't apathetic: we are actually out there DOING something to make a practical, tangible difference. A lot of us are doing it every single day with a lot of blood, sweat and tears.  Sometimes this comes with sacrificing a big pay check, and therefore a slower pay off of our student loans and ultimately delaying our personal lives. Is that so bad though? Someone’s gotta take care of this mess. The 50-somethings certainly are not. I don’t want my children to enter adulthood into the same environment that I did. As an adult, I know that it would be irresponsible.


PS: I encourage my 20-something readers to send me a note and let me know what they are doing to change the world around them. You can contact me at maurya.couvares@gmail.com.



PPS: After composing this blog post, I found this article that very eloquently touches on a lot of what I said in this post. Check it out.

Happy Friday and stay tuned.