essay on community helpers

Essay Papers Writing Online

The impact of community service – a deep dive into the power of giving back to society.

Community service essays serve as a powerful tool for individuals to reflect on their experiences, values, and impact on the world around them. Through the process of writing about their volunteer work, students are able to articulate the positive changes they have made in their communities and explore the lessons they have learned along the way.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in highlighting the importance of giving back to society and fostering a sense of empathy and compassion in individuals. By sharing personal stories of service, students can inspire others to get involved and make a difference in their own communities.

Moreover, community service essays can help students gain valuable skills such as critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving, as they reflect on the challenges and successes of their volunteer experiences. By documenting their service work, students can also showcase their commitment to social responsibility and community engagement to colleges, scholarship committees, and potential employers.

Why Community Service Essays Matter

In today’s society, the importance of community service essays cannot be overstated. These essays serve as a platform for individuals to showcase their dedication to helping others and making a positive impact on their communities. Through these essays, individuals can share their experiences, insights, and perspectives on the value of giving back to society.

Community service essays also play a crucial role in raising awareness about different social issues and encouraging others to get involved in volunteer work. By sharing personal stories and reflections, individuals can inspire and motivate others to take action and contribute to the betterment of society.

Furthermore, community service essays provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and goals. Through the process of writing these essays, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their place in the world, leading to personal growth and development.

In conclusion, community service essays matter because they have the power to inspire change, raise awareness, and promote personal growth. By sharing their stories and insights, individuals can make a difference in their communities and create a more compassionate and giving society.

The Impact of Community Service Essays

Community service essays have a profound impact on both the individuals writing them and the communities they serve. These essays serve as a platform for students to reflect on their experiences and articulate the lessons they have learned through their service work.

One of the primary impacts of community service essays is the opportunity for self-reflection. Students are encouraged to critically analyze their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments during their community service activities. This reflection helps students develop a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their role in the community.

Another significant impact of community service essays is the awareness they raise about social issues and community needs. By sharing their stories and insights, students can shed light on important issues and inspire others to get involved in community service. These essays can also help community organizations and stakeholders better understand the needs of their communities and how they can address them effectively.

Overall, community service essays play a vital role in promoting social responsibility, empathy, and civic engagement. They empower students to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to creating a more compassionate and inclusive society.

Guidelines for Writing Community Service Essays

When writing a community service essay, it is important to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your message is clear and impactful. Here are some tips to help you craft a powerful and compelling essay:

• Start by brainstorming ideas and reflecting on your community service experiences.
• Clearly define the purpose of your essay and what you hope to convey to your readers.
• Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.
• Use specific examples and anecdotes to support your points and showcase your personal growth.
• Highlight the impact of your community service activities on both yourself and others.
• Showcase your passion and dedication to serving your community.
• Be authentic and honest in your writing, and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your experiences.
• Edit and proofread your essay carefully to ensure clarity, coherence, and proper grammar.

Examples of Effective Community Service Essays

Community service essays can have a powerful impact on the reader when they are well-written and thoughtful. Here are a few examples to inspire you:

1. A Well-Structured Essay:

This essay begins with a compelling introduction that clearly articulates the author’s motivation for engaging in community service. The body paragraphs provide specific examples of the author’s experiences and the impact they had on both the community and themselves. The conclusion ties everything together, reflecting on the lessons learned and the importance of giving back.

2. Personal Reflection:

This essay delves deep into the author’s personal experiences during their community service work. It explores the challenges they faced, the emotions they encountered, and the growth they underwent. By sharing vulnerable moments and candid reflections, the author creates a connection with the reader and demonstrates the transformational power of service.

3. Future Goals and Impact:

This essay not only discusses past community service experiences but also looks toward the future. The author shares their aspirations for continued service and outlines how they plan to make a difference in the world. By showcasing a sense of purpose and vision, this essay inspires the reader to consider their own potential for impact.

These examples illustrate how community service essays can be effective tools for conveying meaningful stories, inspiring others, and showcasing personal growth. By crafting a compelling narrative and reflecting on the significance of service, you can create an essay that leaves a lasting impression.

How Community Service Essays Empower Individuals

Community service essays provide individuals with a platform to express their thoughts, share their experiences, and make a meaningful impact on society. By writing about their volunteer work and the lessons they have learned, individuals can empower themselves to create positive change and inspire others to do the same.

• Through community service essays, individuals can reflect on the importance of giving back to their communities and the value of helping those in need.
• These essays can serve as a source of motivation and inspiration for individuals to continue their philanthropic efforts and make a difference in the world.
• By sharing their stories through community service essays, individuals can raise awareness about social issues and promote greater empathy and understanding among their peers.

Overall, community service essays empower individuals to take action, advocate for change, and contribute to building a more compassionate and equitable society.

Related Post

How to master the art of writing expository essays and captivate your audience, convenient and reliable source to purchase college essays online, step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful literary analysis essay, unlock success with a comprehensive business research paper example guide, unlock your writing potential with writers college – transform your passion into profession, “unlocking the secrets of academic success – navigating the world of research papers in college”, master the art of sociological expression – elevate your writing skills in sociology.

Top 20 Qualities of a Good Student

7 Types Of Soil On Earth’s Surface

• Child Learning

Importance of Community Workers and Their Roles

Community workers are people we rely on in emergencies. They are trained professionals who know the right solutions to health threats, or disastrous problems. We head to them to get expert help and to get rid of problematic situations before they get severe.

Students need to learn community workers so that they know whom to rely on in a crisis. Community workers like doctors, firefighters, and nurses.

Children may often avoid strangers even during an emergency because they are taught to do so at home and school. Teaching about community workers will help them recognize people that they can trust during a certain situation.

At JBM Global School, one of the top schools in Noida , students are educated not only about community workers and their roles but also about showing respect for their contributions.

In this article, we will go through the importance of community helpers and how they serve our society. Let’s dive in.

Who are Community Workers?

Community workers are citizens who work in our community t o ensure the well-being of the community. They perform their duties to ensure that people in society stay happy, safe, and healthy. Community helpers perform their duties to the best to ensure that we live in a safe environment and have the necessary services. 

Role of Community Workers

The main role of a community helper is to guide and help the members of the community to make their lives easier. They have different roles depending on the specialization they work in. However, the general role of a community worker is to be in charge of society. 

Community workers provide emotional support, guidance, and counselling to individuals and families facing various challenges. They may help with issues such as health emergencies, fire in facilities, crime reports, and lifestyle issues, performing the jobs such as house help, serving, plumbing, farming, and more.

Now that you know who is a community helper , let us look at some examples of them and learn what they do. 

Also Read :   11 Engaging Gandhi Jayanti Activities For Kids

Community Workers and Their Jobs

Here is a list of community helpers and the duties they perform:

• Doctors are experienced medical professionals who are trained and licensed to treat patients.
• They are community helpers who perform checkups and provide medicines to treat diseases.
• They work in private clinics and hospitals.

• A nurse is there to help doctors.
• Nurses work in healthcare facilities and hospitals.
• They look after the patients, interact with doctors, provide medicine, and check critical symptoms in patients.
• They play an important role in the healthcare workforce.

• The role of a teacher as a community helper is to provide education to students.
• They teach different subjects in schools, colleges, and institutions.
• Teachers are also known as nation builders.
• They also play an important role in the development and growth of the students apart from their studies.

4. Firefighter

• Firefighters are community helpers who stop fires and rescue people from fire-affected facilities.
• They work at fire stations.
• They reach the affected zone via fire trucks.
• They use fire trucks to carry necessary equipment like ladders, water tanks, ropes, and first aid.

5. Police Officers

• Police officers are responsible for protecting people from crime and threats.
• They are responsible for maintaining law and order in a particular area.
• They catch offenders and ensure the safety of people.
• A policeman also shows up in the time of emergencies and provides appropriate support.

6. Fisherman

• The role of a fisherman is to catch fish.
• They sell the fish in the fish market or to the fish seller to earn their living.
• They use fishing nets, boats, and other tools to catch fish from lakes, rivers, seas, and oceans.

7. Soldiers

• The role of the soldiers is to protect our country
• They are trained with arms and guns and work on borders.
• They fight battles to defeat the enemy.
• They are alert to any threat or danger in the country.

8. Astronauts

• An astronaut is trained to carry out experiments in outer space.
• They enter space in a spacecraft to study planets and stars.
• Astronauts play an important role in space exploration and learning about the Earth and the solar system.

• Farmers grow plants and crops to produce food for humans.
• They plant the seeds, water them, use manure, and harvest them.
• They use farming equipment to maintain the growth of the crops.
• They sell the harvested crops to customers, other farmers, and stores.

10. Mail Carrier

• A mail carrier is responsible for delivering mail and packages to homes and businesses.
• They work for postal services or courier companies.
• They organize mail and deliver them to various addresses.

11. Mechanic

• Mechanics are community helpers trained to repair and maintain vehicles and machinery.
• They work in garages, auto repair shops, or specialised workshops.
• They test mechanical issues using specialised tools.
• They do repairs, replace faulty parts, and conduct regular maintenance in vehicles.

12. Gardener

• A gardener is responsible for cultivating and maintaining plants and gardens.
• They work in parks, private residences, or botanical gardens.
• Gardeners plant a variety of flowers, trees, shrubs, and
• .They water, fertilise, prune, and weed the plants to maintain their health.

• A chef is a professional who prepares and cooks meals in restaurants, hotels, or catering services.
• They plan menus, select and prepare ingredients, and use different cooking techniques.

14. Garbage Collector

• They are our helpers who collect and dispose of trash and garbage from homes, businesses, and public areas.
• They perate garbage trucks or other collection vehicles to gather waste.
• They maintain cleanliness and hygiene in the community by keeping the surroundings free from litter.
• They contribute to waste management and environmental sustainability.

• Waiters take orders from customers and serve food and drinks in restaurants or cafes.
• They also decide on the menu and assist customers.
• Coordinate with kitchen staff to inform them about the orders.

16. Janitor

• They clean and maintain the cleanliness of buildings, offices, schools, and other facilities
• They sweep, mop, and vacuum floors, dust surfaces, and empty trash bins.
• They also do minor maintenance tasks, such as changing light bulbs or fixing leaky faucets.
• They ensure a clean and sanitary environment for occupants.

17. Plumber

• Plumbers install, repair, and maintain plumbing systems in homes, buildings, or businesses.
• They identify and fix leaks, clogs, or other plumbing issues.
• They install and connect pipes, fixtures, and appliances (e.g., sinks, toilets, water heaters).
• A plumber conducts inspections to ensure the proper functioning of plumbing systems.
• They provide solutions for water conservation and promote efficient water usage.

18. Electrician

• Electricians take care of electrical systems in facilities.
• They connect wiring, outlets, switches, and light fixtures.
• They also solve electrical problems.
• They provide electrical solutions for new constructions or renovations.

• They develop structures using bricks, stones, or concrete blocks.
• They construct walls, floors, or other structures.
• They use tools like levels, and saws to shape and cut materials.
• They assist in the construction or repair of buildings, bridges, or other masonry projects.

20. House Help

• House helpers are our helpers who assist with household chores and daily tasks in our home.
• They clean and organize rooms, sweep floors, and do laundry.
• They prepare meals or help with cooking and washing dishes.
• They also provide support in maintaining a tidy and comfortable living environment.

Community helpers work for the better of the community and help people to live a convenient life. They work to earn their living and provide support to us in different situations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Community helpers help us by providing important services and support for our well-being. They include professions such as doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, teachers, garbage collectors, and many others who play vital roles in our daily lives.

They are individuals in different professions who work for the welfare and betterment of the community. They provide assistance, services, and expertise that are needed for the smooth functioning and development of society.

Appreciating community helpers can be done in several ways. You can show appreciation by saying thank you or organizing initiatives to honor their contributions.

Teaching children about community helpers is important because it helps them understand the roles of people in society. They also understand the importance of cooperation and interdependence. Children start to recognize people whom they should contact in different emergencies.

Related posts

The Role Of Play In Early Childhood Development

Summer Vacation Activities For Kids

The Importance Of Mathematical Skills For Children’s Success

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Community Service Essay

Community service is a way for people to make a difference in the world. Community service can be something you do every day, or it can be something you only do once in a while. It is one thing to volunteer your time and money, but it is quite another to take on the responsibility of an organisation where people depend on you. Community service essay inspires us to help people and bring a smile to their faces.

Community service is an integral part of life. It is something that everyone should do. When you volunteer, you will be better yourself and the people around you. There are many different ways to give back to your community, and this community service essay will guide you in getting a fair idea.

Community service can be gratifying, and also it involves social values. There are many ways to help your community through volunteering. You could start by reaching out to local organisations or suggesting volunteer opportunities in your area. Remember that not all options will fit your schedule or personal interests, so don’t get discouraged if you are not successful right away.

Community service is something that many people do as a form of volunteer work, but it can be more than just volunteering. When you contribute to your community, you stand out in the crowd and show that you care about others.

Suggested Article : Essay on Community Helpers

Importance of Community Service

In this importance of community service essay, kids learn the value of helping others and the gratification. Community service is a way to contribute to one’s community. It is not just about giving back, but it also helps people learn skills that they can apply later in their professional life. To take advantage of the benefits of volunteering, it is essential to be knowledgeable about what types of services are available and how often they are needed.

The importance of community service is often overlooked. It can considerably impact our mental and physical health and help people feel valued. The key to good health and happy life is feeling appreciated for what you do. It motivates people to volunteer or donates their time to make this happen.

Community service also creates a sense of purpose and value in life and helps people see that their efforts have an impact on others.

Volunteering for a charity or nonprofit organisation can positively impact the community. You could help raise awareness about a cause, promote social justice, strengthen bonds within your community, or improve mental and physical health.

Community service is crucial for people of all ages. Community service activities help children define their values, experience empathy, develop social skills, and learn about their community. Volunteering can also open doors to various career opportunities after completing higher education.

To grow, a person needs to step outside of their own life and do something that benefits others. Community service provides individuals with a feeling of accomplishment and expands their knowledge in various fields by volunteering time and money. A person who desires growth must first understand the importance of community service before finding out how to go about it.

Frequently Asked Questions on Community Service Essay

What is the importance of community service.

Community service is important for people of all ages. It can considerably impact our mental and physical health and help people feel valued. The key to good health is feeling appreciated for what you do, so it helps to volunteer or donate your time to make this happen.

What is community service?

Community service is a way for people to make a difference in the world by doing selfless service to the community. Community service can be something you do every day, or it can be something you do only once in a while. It is one thing to volunteer your time and money, but it is also to take responsibility for an organisation where people depend on you.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Paragraph on Community Helpers

Students are often asked to write a paragraph on Community Helpers in their schools. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 200-word, and 250-word paragraphs on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

Paragraph on Community Helpers in 100 Words

Community helpers are people who help us in our daily life. They do different jobs to keep our community healthy, safe, and clean. Some helpers are doctors, who cure our sickness. Firefighters put out fires and save people. Teachers help us learn new things. Policemen keep us safe from bad guys. Bakers make yummy bread and cakes. Garbage collectors keep our neighborhood clean by taking away waste. Mail carriers bring us letters and packages. Each helper is important in our life. They work hard to make our community a good place to live. We should always thank them for their work.

Paragraph on Community Helpers in 200 Words

Community helpers are people who live and work right in our own neighborhoods. They have jobs that help make our lives better. There are many types of community helpers, like teachers, doctors, firefighters, and police officers. Teachers help us learn new things in school. Doctors keep us healthy by treating us when we’re sick. Firefighters are brave people who put out fires and save people from danger. Police officers keep us safe by making sure people follow the laws. Then there are also postmen who bring letters and packages to our homes, and garbage collectors who keep our neighborhoods clean. Bakers and grocers provide us with food, while bus drivers help us travel from one place to another. All these helpers are very important. They work hard every day to make sure we have everything we need to live happy and safe lives. Next time you see a community helper, remember to say thank you for their hard work. They truly make our community a better place to live.

Also check:

Paragraph on Community Helpers in 250 Words

Community helpers are essential people who work in our neighborhoods to make our lives easier and better. They perform different jobs that assist us in our daily activities and contribute to keeping our community safe, clean, and orderly. Examples of community helpers include firefighters, police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers, garbage collectors, mail carriers, and many others. Firefighters and police officers ensure our safety by preventing crime and rescuing us from dangerous situations. Doctors and nurses help us when we are sick or injured, keeping us healthy. Teachers educate us, helping us gain knowledge and skills for a better future. Garbage collectors ensure our surroundings are clean, while mail carriers deliver letters and packages right to our doorsteps. Additionally, there are many unsung heroes like farmers who provide us with food, and construction workers who build houses and roads. Community helpers are not just workers, but they are the backbone of our society. They play a crucial role in maintaining the overall health and wellbeing of the community. It’s important for us to respect and appreciate their invaluable service. Without community helpers, our lives would be much more challenging. So, let’s always remember to thank them for their hard work and dedication. This understanding of community helpers teaches us about cooperation, unity, and the importance of every role in society.

Explore other popular paragraph topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by  clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Be a Better Helper in the World and Your Community

Advice from a humanitarian leader on how to make effective and important change..

Posted March 1, 2021

Paying attention to the news and all the natural and manmade disasters happening in the world can get pretty discouraging. How can we as helpers, whether as humanitarian workers or in another context, make effective and lasting change? In this interview, Sarah Petrin shares from her experience on how we can be better helpers in the field and in our everyday lives.

Sarah Dawn Petrin is a humanitarian and an educator from Maine. Born in an African village during a season of drought, Sarah has helped refugees since she was 15 years old. From responding to an active shooter in the Capitol of Washington, DC to being held hostage by a warlord in the Sahara Desert, Sarah has borne witness to the radical acts of ordinary heroism that lead to global change. Sarah has worked in more than 20 countries with the United Nations and the Red Cross and is the founder of Protect the People. She is a voice of authority who advocates for people in need. She teaches on the Protection of Civilians and Human Security at the U.S. Army Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute and is an Adjunct Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Messiah University. Sarah has a Master of Studies in Forced Migration from the Refugee Studies Center at Oxford University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, French, and African Studies from Gordon College. She lives between Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.

Jamie Aten: Why did you set out to write your book?

Sarah Petrin: When I started writing this book I was about to turn 40 years old, which meant that I had been doing humanitarian work for more than 20 years! This made me think about the importance of inspiring the next generation of young people who want to go out and change the world.

I wanted to share the lessons I learned over the course of my career in order to help guide those who aspire to careers in international relief work and also encourage everyday people to get involved in making change happen in their own communities.

The world needs more helpers. In order to fix the big problems in our world, we need people to move from the sidelines to the frontlines of today’s crises. One of the main reasons I wrote BRING RAIN was to try to help people see our common humanity rather than what divides us.

JA: What is the primary takeaway you hope readers will learn from reading your book?

SP: That sometimes doing big things starts with doing something small. That you don’t have to be a saint or superhero to accomplish hard things. There is not one problem in the world, in your neighborhood and in your community, that you can’t address. This includes forming a vision for your life, identifying the problems you want to solve, mobilizing people around you, and advocating for changes in policy.

There is also specific advice for those people who want to go overseas to do humanitarian work. I write about understanding your own identity , being aware of conflict dynamics and armed groups, and working with local partners in a way that leads to mutual transformation. The truth is, humanitarians benefit from the work as much as anyone we are trying to help because helping gives us a front-row seat to the changes we want to see in the world.

Ultimately, our work is only part of the bigger picture of God’s work in the world. In the chapter, Keeping Faith in Humanity, I point to how I’ve seen God at work in the world, and how this helps me to have faith that God is working on the things that are beyond my control.

JA: What are some lessons from your book that can help people live more resiliently?

SP: Personal resilience is about cultivating your ability to recover from shocks that are part of the job hazard. Having good mechanisms for self-care and the support of friends and family are so vitally important. You need to share your stories and concerns with a close group of people who can listen and genuinely care about your experiences.

I’ve experienced trauma , both physical and psychological, and have had some dark nights of the soul. During one stretch of too many sleepless nights, I finally sought the advice of a counselor who helped me get through the pain and gave me hope that life would be good again. It’s important to step back and rest. To see that your life is part of the lives of others; that you are only human, and that humanity has many gifts to give. When you see that each person and place is capable of recovering and rebuilding, it helps build your own strength and resilience. You will see that time and time again, human resilience and determination arise, making everything possible.

JA: How can humanitarians establish a good support network in the field?

SP: As a humanitarian, you are often traveling and moving around. Being able to make new friends and have a good personal support network is important to your own well-being. While you are caring for others, you also need to take good care of yourself. In my book, I share a few tips for “finding your people” and have more meaningful friendships. This includes putting yourself out there and not shying away from opportunities to engage with people.

When you are doing relief work, you are going to have long days. You may be tempted to retreat at the end of the day, but if you choose to have dinner with your colleagues, this offers you a chance to debrief and grow new friendships. Have meaningful conversations with the people you meet. Don’t shy away from asking people about their experience, families, and professional life. In remote and austere environments, where there is no place to go or naturally meet friends, you will need to create opportunities for social life by being invitational. Offer to help your colleagues in times of personal need. Whatever you do, don’t become isolated from other people or turn inward when you are helping others. Lean on your support network, and share your experience with friends.

JA: What are you currently working on these days?

SP: Currently my work is focused on Human Security in Military Operations, which is a way of addressing how the security sector works with local populations and understands the risks that people face within different demographics. The risks to children are different than what adults face. For example, in some countries affected by armed conflict, children are recruited as soldiers, spies, or to make and detonate bombs. Helping the military understand how children are recruited, down to the specific details of where they are recruited from and at what age, can help officers identify such children in a mission, maintain distance from children who may be a risk, and also enable them to help a child in need by referring the child to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Human security looks at all the risks and vulnerabilities in a given environment, including the natural resources and infrastructure that human beings depend on for life. This can include an assessment of water, energy, and food resources in addition to addressing the specific concerns of the population by age, gender , ethnicity , or language group. Human security includes a range of cross- cutting topics that are important to keeping people safe in complex environments.

JA: Anything else you would like to share?

SP: Being a student is such a special time in your life, whether you are an undergraduate or graduate. Now is the time to explore the topics and issues that you want to address in your professional life. It’s also a great time to learn new skills and make contact with people in your chosen field.

Make the most of every opportunity. Don’t wait for the right job to come your way. Make a difference every day — start right where you are now.

Jamie Aten , Ph.D. , is the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

Choose Your Test

• Search Blogs By Category
• College Admissions
• AP and IB Exams
• GPA and Coursework

How to Write a Great Community Service Essay

College Admissions , Extracurriculars

Are you applying to a college or a scholarship that requires a community service essay? Do you know how to write an essay that will impress readers and clearly show the impact your work had on yourself and others?

Read on to learn step-by-step instructions for writing a great community service essay that will help you stand out and be memorable.

What Is a Community Service Essay? Why Do You Need One?

A community service essay is an essay that describes the volunteer work you did and the impact it had on you and your community. Community service essays can vary widely depending on specific requirements listed in the application, but, in general, they describe the work you did, why you found the work important, and how it benefited people around you.

Community service essays are typically needed for two reasons:

#1: To Apply to College

• Some colleges require students to write community service essays as part of their application or to be eligible for certain scholarships.
• You may also choose to highlight your community service work in your personal statement.

#2: To Apply for Scholarships

• Some scholarships are specifically awarded to students with exceptional community service experiences, and many use community service essays to help choose scholarship recipients.
• Green Mountain College offers one of the most famous of these scholarships. Their "Make a Difference Scholarship" offers full tuition, room, and board to students who have demonstrated a significant, positive impact through their community service

Getting Started With Your Essay

In the following sections, I'll go over each step of how to plan and write your essay. I'll also include sample excerpts for you to look through so you can get a better idea of what readers are looking for when they review your essay.

Step 1: Know the Essay Requirements

Before your start writing a single word, you should be familiar with the essay prompt. Each college or scholarship will have different requirements for their essay, so make sure you read these carefully and understand them.

Specific things to pay attention to include:

• Length requirement
• Application deadline
• The main purpose or focus of the essay
• If the essay should follow a specific structure

Below are three real community service essay prompts. Read through them and notice how much they vary in terms of length, detail, and what information the writer should include.

From the Equitable Excellence Scholarship:

"Describe your outstanding achievement in depth and provide the specific planning, training, goals, and steps taken to make the accomplishment successful. Include details about your role and highlight leadership you provided. Your essay must be a minimum of 350 words but not more than 600 words."

From the Laura W. Bush Traveling Scholarship:

"Essay (up to 500 words, double spaced) explaining your interest in being considered for the award and how your proposed project reflects or is related to both UNESCO's mandate and U.S. interests in promoting peace by sharing advances in education, science, culture, and communications."

From the LULAC National Scholarship Fund:

"Please type or print an essay of 300 words (maximum) on how your academic studies will contribute to your personal & professional goals. In addition, please discuss any community service or extracurricular activities you have been involved in that relate to your goals."

Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas

Even after you understand what the essay should be about, it can still be difficult to begin writing. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm essay ideas. You may be able to incorporate your answers into your essay.

• What community service activity that you've participated in has meant the most to you?
• What is your favorite memory from performing community service?
• Why did you decide to begin community service?
• What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
• How has your community service changed you?
• How has your community service helped others?
• How has your community service affected your plans for the future?

You don't need to answer all the questions, but if you find you have a lot of ideas for one of two of them, those may be things you want to include in your essay.

Writing Your Essay

How you structure your essay will depend on the requirements of the scholarship or school you are applying to. You may give an overview of all the work you did as a volunteer, or highlight a particularly memorable experience. You may focus on your personal growth or how your community benefited.

Regardless of the specific structure requested, follow the guidelines below to make sure your community service essay is memorable and clearly shows the impact of your work.

Samples of mediocre and excellent essays are included below to give you a better idea of how you should draft your own essay.

Step 1: Hook Your Reader In

You want the person reading your essay to be interested, so your first sentence should hook them in and entice them to read more. A good way to do this is to start in the middle of the action. Your first sentence could describe you helping build a house, releasing a rescued animal back to the wild, watching a student you tutored read a book on their own, or something else that quickly gets the reader interested. This will help set your essay apart and make it more memorable.

Compare these two opening sentences:

"I have volunteered at the Wishbone Pet Shelter for three years."

"The moment I saw the starving, mud-splattered puppy brought into the shelter with its tail between its legs, I knew I'd do whatever I could to save it."

The first sentence is a very general, bland statement. The majority of community service essays probably begin a lot like it, but it gives the reader little information and does nothing to draw them in. On the other hand, the second sentence begins immediately with action and helps persuade the reader to keep reading so they can learn what happened to the dog.

Step 2: Discuss the Work You Did

Once you've hooked your reader in with your first sentence, tell them about your community service experiences. State where you work, when you began working, how much time you've spent there, and what your main duties include. This will help the reader quickly put the rest of the essay in context and understand the basics of your community service work.

Not including basic details about your community service could leave your reader confused.

Step 3: Include Specific Details

It's the details of your community service that make your experience unique and memorable, so go into the specifics of what you did.

For example, don't just say you volunteered at a nursing home; talk about reading Mrs. Johnson her favorite book, watching Mr. Scott win at bingo, and seeing the residents play games with their grandchildren at the family day you organized. Try to include specific activities, moments, and people in your essay. Having details like these let the readers really understand what work you did and how it differs from other volunteer experiences.

Compare these two passages:

"For my volunteer work, I tutored children at a local elementary school. I helped them improve their math skills and become more confident students."

"As a volunteer at York Elementary School, I worked one-on-one with second and third graders who struggled with their math skills, particularly addition, subtraction, and fractions. As part of my work, I would create practice problems and quizzes and try to connect math to the students' interests. One of my favorite memories was when Sara, a student I had been working with for several weeks, told me that she enjoyed the math problems I had created about a girl buying and selling horses so much that she asked to help me create math problems for other students."

The first passage only gives basic information about the work done by the volunteer; there is very little detail included, and no evidence is given to support her claims. How did she help students improve their math skills? How did she know they were becoming more confident?

The second passage is much more detailed. It recounts a specific story and explains more fully what kind of work the volunteer did, as well as a specific instance of a student becoming more confident with her math skills. Providing more detail in your essay helps support your claims as well as make your essay more memorable and unique.

Step 4: Show Your Personality

It would be very hard to get a scholarship or place at a school if none of your readers felt like they knew much about you after finishing your essay, so make sure that your essay shows your personality. The way to do this is to state your personal strengths, then provide examples to support your claims. Take some time to think about which parts of your personality you would like your essay to highlight, then write about specific examples to show this.

• If you want to show that you're a motivated leader, describe a time when you organized an event or supervised other volunteers.
• If you want to show your teamwork skills, write about a time you helped a group of people work together better.
• If you want to show that you're a compassionate animal lover, write about taking care of neglected shelter animals and helping each of them find homes.

Step 5: State What You Accomplished

After you have described your community service and given specific examples of your work, you want to begin to wrap your essay up by stating your accomplishments. What was the impact of your community service? Did you build a house for a family to move into? Help students improve their reading skills? Clean up a local park? Make sure the impact of your work is clear; don't be worried about bragging here.

If you can include specific numbers, that will also strengthen your essay. Saying "I delivered meals to 24 home-bound senior citizens" is a stronger example than just saying "I delivered meals to lots of senior citizens."

Also be sure to explain why your work matters. Why is what you did important? Did it provide more parks for kids to play in? Help students get better grades? Give people medical care who would otherwise not have gotten it? This is an important part of your essay, so make sure to go into enough detail that your readers will know exactly what you accomplished and how it helped your community.

"My biggest accomplishment during my community service was helping to organize a family event at the retirement home. The children and grandchildren of many residents attended, and they all enjoyed playing games and watching movies together."

"The community service accomplishment that I'm most proud of is the work I did to help organize the First Annual Family Fun Day at the retirement home. My job was to design and organize fun activities that senior citizens and their younger relatives could enjoy. The event lasted eight hours and included ten different games, two performances, and a movie screening with popcorn. Almost 200 residents and family members attended throughout the day. This event was important because it provided an opportunity for senior citizens to connect with their family members in a way they aren't often able to. It also made the retirement home seem more fun and enjoyable to children, and we have seen an increase in the number of kids coming to visit their grandparents since the event."

The second passage is stronger for a variety of reasons. First, it goes into much more detail about the work the volunteer did. The first passage only states that she helped "organize a family event." That really doesn't tell readers much about her work or what her responsibilities were. The second passage is much clearer; her job was to "design and organize fun activities."

The second passage also explains the event in more depth. A family day can be many things; remember that your readers are likely not familiar with what you're talking about, so details help them get a clearer picture.

Lastly, the second passage makes the importance of the event clear: it helped residents connect with younger family members, and it helped retirement homes seem less intimidating to children, so now some residents see their grand kids more often.

Step 6: Discuss What You Learned

One of the final things to include in your essay should be the impact that your community service had on you. You can discuss skills you learned, such as carpentry, public speaking, animal care, or another skill.

You can also talk about how you changed personally. Are you more patient now? More understanding of others? Do you have a better idea of the type of career you want? Go into depth about this, but be honest. Don't say your community service changed your life if it didn't because trite statements won't impress readers.

In order to support your statements, provide more examples. If you say you're more patient now, how do you know this? Do you get less frustrated while playing with your younger siblings? Are you more willing to help group partners who are struggling with their part of the work? You've probably noticed by now that including specific examples and details is one of the best ways to create a strong and believable essay .

"As a result of my community service, I learned a lot about building houses and became a more mature person."

"As a result of my community service, I gained hands-on experience in construction. I learned how to read blueprints, use a hammer and nails, and begin constructing the foundation of a two-bedroom house. Working on the house could be challenging at times, but it taught me to appreciate the value of hard work and be more willing to pitch in when I see someone needs help. My dad has just started building a shed in our backyard, and I offered to help him with it because I know from my community service how much work it is. I also appreciate my own house more, and I know how lucky I am to have a roof over my head."

The second passage is more impressive and memorable because it describes the skills the writer learned in more detail and recounts a specific story that supports her claim that her community service changed her and made her more helpful.

Step 7: Finish Strong

Just as you started your essay in a way that would grab readers' attention, you want to finish your essay on a strong note as well. A good way to end your essay is to state again the impact your work had on you, your community, or both. Reiterate how you changed as a result of your community service, why you found the work important, or how it helped others.

Compare these two concluding statements:

"In conclusion, I learned a lot from my community service at my local museum, and I hope to keep volunteering and learning more about history."

"To conclude, volunteering at my city's American History Museum has been a great experience. By leading tours and participating in special events, I became better at public speaking and am now more comfortable starting conversations with people. In return, I was able to get more community members interested in history and our local museum. My interest in history has deepened, and I look forward to studying the subject in college and hopefully continuing my volunteer work at my university's own museum."

The second passage takes each point made in the first passage and expands upon it. In a few sentences, the second passage is able to clearly convey what work the volunteer did, how she changed, and how her volunteer work benefited her community.

The author of the second passage also ends her essay discussing her future and how she'd like to continue her community service, which is a good way to wrap things up because it shows your readers that you are committed to community service for the long-term.

What's Next?

Are you applying to a community service scholarship or thinking about it? We have a complete list of all the community service scholarships available to help get your search started!

Do you need a community service letter as well? We have a step-by-step guide that will tell you how to get a great reference letter from your community service supervisor.

Thinking about doing community service abroad? Before you sign up, read our guide on some of the hazards of international volunteer trips and how to know if it's the right choice for you.

Trending Now

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

ACT vs. SAT: Which Test Should You Take?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Get Your Free

Find Your Target SAT Score

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect SAT Score, by an Expert Full Scorer

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading and Writing

How to Improve Your Low SAT Score

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading and Writing

Find Your Target ACT Score

Complete Official Free ACT Practice Tests

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

Get a 36 on ACT English

Get a 36 on ACT Math

Get a 36 on ACT Reading

Get a 36 on ACT Science

How to Improve Your Low ACT Score

Get a 24 on ACT English

Get a 24 on ACT Math

Get a 24 on ACT Reading

Get a 24 on ACT Science

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

How to Teach Community Helpers

Wondering how to teach community helpers to young children? It’s a fun way to show them the many people who make our communities a better place! From friendly firefighters and caring doctors to helpful mail carriers, each helper has a special role that keeps our neighborhoods running smoothly.

Introducing these everyday heroes to children not only sparks curiosity but also builds empathy and respect. It helps kids see that no matter the job, everyone’s work is important. Whether it’s the baker who makes our favorite treats or the crossing guard who keeps us safe, there’s a helper around every corner!

Ready to start teaching? Here are some beautiful preschool books that bring these roles to life and help children understand how big our community’s helping hearts are.

Look for the Helpers

After 9/11, Fred Rogers—beloved as Mr. Rogers—shared a comforting piece of advice from his childhood. When he saw scary things on the news, his mother would tell him, “Look for the helpers.” It’s a beautiful reminder that even in tough times, there are always people doing good.

Inspired by this wisdom, the Fred Rogers Company published a book in 2018 called Look for the Helpers from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood . It’s a wonderful way to teach children that there are always kind-hearted people ready to help no matter what happens.

Like everything Mr. Rogers was a part of, children will find this book calming. It even includes extra information on being prepared. Preschool and kindergarten children will love this book. In addition, families or teachers can help children make an emergency preparedness kit after reading.

Jobs in the Community

So many wonderful books are available today to help children learn about the different roles of community helpers! One delightful title is Clothesline Clues to Jobs People Do by Kathryn Heling.

This book is filled with colorful illustrations and fun clues, such as workers’ uniforms. These clues help young readers guess each character’s job. The rhyming text adds to the fun and excitement. It’s perfect for a lively read-aloud!

You can even extend the learning with a dress-up activity where kids wear the uniforms of their favorite community helpers. It’s a great way to get them thinking about different jobs and imagining themselves in those roles. Plus, it’s the perfect lead-in to a career day or a community helper-themed event!

Community Helpers and Diversity

Whose Hands Are These? by Miranda Paul is a wonderful book that invites children to guess different professions based on the clues provided. The lively illustrations feature people of various ages, races, and genders, showcasing the diversity of community helpers. With its catchy rhymes and engaging format, it’s a delightful read!

This book is ideal for kids ages 4 to 7, thanks to its rich vocabulary and interactive nature. It’s also a fantastic springboard for a creative hand-art activity! Have the kids trace their hands and then decorate them with drawings or glued-on props that represent the jobs they dream of doing. It’s a fun way for them to explore different roles while using their imagination!

Let’s Meet a Community Helper

Let’s Meet a Police Officer is part of a fantastic series introducing young children to community helpers. Other titles in the series include Let’s Meet a Firefighter and Let’s Meet a Doctor .

Each book features bright, engaging illustrations perfect for preschoolers, helping bring these important roles to life. It’s a wonderful way for little ones to learn about the helpers in their community in a fun and approachable way!

Independent Reading about Community Helpers

For kids starting to read independently, DK Readers: Jobs People Do: A Day in the Life of a Firefighter is a fantastic choice! This book features clear photos and simple text, focusing on sight words to support early readers. It gives an inside look at the daily duties of a firefighter in a way that’s easy for young children to understand.

After reading, a great follow-up activity would be to compare and contrast the roles of a police officer and a firefighter. How are their jobs similar? How do they differ? This discussion helps kids explore the unique and important ways each of these community helpers contributes to keeping us safe!

Looking for more DK books? Check out Jobs People Do ! This charming book features smiling children dressed up for a variety of jobs, from chef and ballet dancer to surgeon and mail carrier. It’s a wonderful way for kids to explore different professions and imagine themselves in those roles. Perfect for sparking conversations about what they want to be when they grow up!

Our world is full of incredible people doing all sorts of important jobs, each one helping our communities thrive. From the friendly librarian who shares stories to the hardworking sanitation worker who keeps our streets clean, every role makes a difference. You can be your child’s guide as they discover these everyday heroes!

Use these wonderful books at home or in the classroom to introduce little ones to the community helpers who make our world go round. Reading about these jobs not only teaches children about the many ways people contribute but also helps them appreciate the diversity and dedication that keep our neighborhoods running smoothly. Let’s inspire our young learners to see the big helping hearts all around them!

Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sharing is Caring

Help spread the word. You're awesome for doing it!

10 Lines Essay On Community Helpers In English For Students

Related posts:.

Look! We're Learning!

Early Learning. Happy Teaching.

Helping Hands! Community Helpers Writing Activity

May 7, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Sharing is caring!

Community helpers are always a popular theme in early education. They have been for years.

I remember learning about mail workers, firefighters, and police officers when I was in nursery school myself.

These neighborhood workers are essential to our daily lives, so it’s only right that we teach kids about them as early as possible.

And, with this community helpers writing activity , you can add in a little ELA too!

This community helpers sentence writing activity is a fun way to use early writing and sentencing building skills to teach students about our local helpers!

You could use this as a one-time writing activity or place it at centers for repeated practice so that kids can work on them over and over.

Read on to see how to get your copy.

And, for more ways to learn about neighborhood workers, take a look our list of 20 community helpers books for kids !

To use this community helpers writing activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy .)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer Paper
• Colored pencils
• Laminator (optional)
• Dry erase crayons or dry erase markers (optional)

This writing activity includes seven community helper sentence practice pages, featuring:

• Trash collector
• Mail carrier
• Firefighter
• And Police officer

Each page includes a picture of the community helper, along with an example sentence.

Students can practice reading the sentence on each page.

Then they can color the sentence, trace the sentence, and write it for themselves on the lines.

This is an excellent activity for teaching sentence formation, because it gives children an example of what a complete sentence should look like.

Point out that each complete sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period.

Make sure that students include both of these elements when rewriting the sentences.

If you prefer, you can turn this lesson into a reusable activity by laminating the pages so they can be wiped clean.

Students can use dry erase markers or dry erase crayons to complete them again and again!

Scroll down to get your Community Helpers Writing Activity!

Learn more about these neighborhood workers with these activities!

To get your copy of this Helping Hands! Community Helpers Writing Activity, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Helping Hands! Writing Activity – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Email Newsletter

Receive free lesson plans, printables, and worksheets by email:

Teacher Guide to Community Helpers

Think of people who make your community a better place - who are the people who come to mind? These will be people who have occupations that make life better for all around them. The policemen and policewomen who keep our communities safe, the doctors and nurses who help us all stay healthy, the teachers who help students learn, the postal carriers who deliver mail come rain or snow- these are people in professions that directly impact the lives of others. The people in professions or occupations that deliver a service that makes our lives easier or better are the community helpers.

• Background Sites
• Community Helper Lesson Plans
• Community Helpers Worksheets
• architect , barber , dentist
• doctor , father , firefighter
• librarian , mother , nurse
• police officer , repairman
• secretary , teacher , waiter

A community needs many people to pitch in for it to function well. The community helpers are very often those who have a direct interaction with other members of the community and deliver a service that is critical for the well being of the community. Fire fighters are another group of people who are definitely community helpers. If there is a medical emergency at home, you have been taught to call 911. The ambulance, the police and the fire fighters are the first agencies to respond. They have the skills to assess the emergency and to provide the necessary help. Whether it is child stuck inside a locked house or a senior citizen suffering a heart attack, these first responders step in to help out the person in trouble.

It is important for all of us to know the ways in which community helpers make our lives better. It helps us appreciate their work. Moreover, we can also help them to do their jobs better if we understand the role they play. For example a librarian is a community helper who performs the important role of enabling the community to find and read good books. He or she also helps library find other resources within the library system. By understanding this, we know that it is important for each of us to respect and follow the system set forth in libraries. The library cards are a way for librarians to tracks books or videos and so it is important that we borrow things from the library with a card. It is also important that we return things at the right time as social responsible people. Failure to do either of these things makes a librarian's job harder and reduces his or her ability to do the most for other patrons.

In many ways community helpers remind us of how inter-connected our lives are when we live in a given community. A dentist who helps a teacher with a toothache by extension helps a student have a chance to learn. A cop who maintains the safety of a neighborhood allows a postal worker to do his or her job without fretting about unsavory neighborhoods. If everybody performs their role with an eagerness to help others, life in the community as a whole improves.

Many community workers have easily identifiable work attire or clothes. This makes it easy to know their role in the community and is helpful if you need to approach someone new for help. A policeman or fire fighter's uniform and a doctor's coat thus become important clues of what they can do. Sometimes, you can use these uniforms as visual clues to just go up and thank a community helper for the service they provide to society. These men and women will greatly appreciate being acknowledged by others for the important roles that they play.

Related Teacher Resources That Are Worth A Look:

• Venn Diagram Comparing Community Helpers

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, help with a community essay.

I have to write an essay about my community for my English class and was hoping for some advice. What aspects should I focus on? How can I articulate my experiences properly and make it engaging?

Writing a compelling community essay involves more than just describing your neighborhood or where you come from. It should explore your connection to your community, the impact you've had, or vice versa. Here's a brief guide to help you approach this essay:

1. Develop your definition: Understand what 'community' means to you. It can be your family, neighborhood, religious or cultural group, school club, etc. Think of any group that you connect with and participate in.

2. Personal connection: Describe your involvement within this community and how you have contributed to it. Did you overcome any obstacles or challenges? Have you made specific contributions or fulfilled particular roles? Elaborate on your responsibilities and give examples to make it more relatable.

3. Impact: Reflect on how your involvement within the community has shaped you. What have you learned from this experience? How have these lessons helped in your personal and academic growth?

4. Engaging Elements: Use descriptive language to make your experiences come alive. Remember, show don't tell. Rather than stating that you helped make the community cleaner, describe the day you organized a neighborhood cleanup: the energy, the camaraderie, the way you felt surveying the clean streets afterward.

5. Conclusion: End with your potential future involvement within the community. How do you see yourself still contributing to this community in the future?

Remember, authenticity is key! Highlight your personal experiences and focus on the specifics. Your unique perspective is what will make your essay most engaging.

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

Friday essay: ‘I know my ache is not your pain’ – disabled writers imagine a healthier world

Creative Writing Lecturer, The University of Melbourne

Disclosure statement

Andy Jackson received funding from RMIT University under their Writing the Future of Health Fellowship.

University of Melbourne provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation AU.

View all partners

There are many reasons why I shouldn’t be here. If you’d shown my ten-year-old self my life as it is now, he’d have been stunned, mostly because he half-expected an early death. My father, who had Marfan Syndrome , the genetic condition I have, died when he was in his mid-40s, when I was two, and the conventional medical wisdom of the time was that this was normal, almost expected.

Marfan is known as a “disorder of connective tissue”, meaning numerous systems of the body can be affected – the connective tissue of the heart, joints, eyes are liable to strain or tear. In my teens, I had multiple spinal surgeries, but there was always the spectre of sudden aortic dissection: a potentially life-threatening tear in the aorta, the body’s largest blood vessel. Like walking around under a storm cloud, never knowing if or when the lightning would strike.

If you’d shown my 20-year-old self my life now, he’d have said, well, I’m not disabled, not really, I mean, I’m not disadvantaged by my body, there’d be other people who really are. At that age, I felt profoundly stigmatised, faltering under the weight of other people’s intrusive attention, a different kind of lightning, that kept striking.

My sense back then was that disability was about impairment. They use wheelchairs. They’re blind or deaf. They’re intellectually disabled. Not me. I just had a differently shaped body, which was other people’s problem, not mine. As if I could keep those things discreet.

Back then, in the films, television dramas and books I consumed, there were disabled characters, invariably marginal or two-dimensionally pathetic or tragic. Their existence was functional, a resource to be mined. Their bodies were metaphorically monumental, looming over the narrative, yet somehow hollow, without the fullness of agency. I certainly didn’t know any disabled authors.

This is an edited extract of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature Patron’s Lecture, delivered at UniSA Creative’s Finding Australia’s Disabled Authors online symposium on Wednesday 25 September.

Becoming a writer within a community

My 35-year-old self would mostly be surprised at the distance I’ve travelled as a writer. From open mic poetry nights in Fitzroy and Brunswick, via publication in photocopied zines and established literary journals, onto my first book of poems (then more), grants, residencies, a PhD in disability poetics, the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Poetry – and now teaching creative writing at the University of Melbourne.

These, of course, are only the outward markers. What’s most potent for me is the sense that, in spite of my ongoing sense of dislocation and marginality, I do belong within a net of support and meaning-making.

I’m part of a community of poets and writers. A community of disabled people and people with disabilities, people who know chronic illness, the flux of mental health, who know what it’s like to be othered. I also live as a non-Indigenous person on Dja Dja Wurrung country, whose elders have cared for their land, kept culture alive, and resisted colonisation and its brutal extractions.

An awareness of where we are situated, a felt sense of relationship with others like and unlike us, a consciousness of the histories and political forces that shape us, a hunch that our woundedness is not separate from the woundedness of the entire biosphere: none of this just happens automatically, though it emerges from a very subtle inner resonance.

It has to be attended to, nurtured with curiosity and empathy, within a community. Because disability – as a socially-constructed reality, and as an identity that is claimed – is not essentially a category, but a centre of gravity every body is drawn towards.

This may not be the conception of disability you’re used to.

Disability as human experience

The social model of disability is the idea that what makes someone disabled are the social, political, medical, institutional, architectural and cultural forces and structures. Stairs (for people using wheelchairs) and stares (for those who look, or move, or talk in a non-normative way, where normal is a kind of Platonic abstraction of what humans ought to be).

But disability is also a fundamental aspect of human experience, with its own magnetism or impersonal charisma. Disability is an unavoidable bedrock of being alive.

There is a tension here, of course. Between disability as a dimension of discrimination, which creates barriers we want to dismantle, and disability as an inherent aspect of an embodiment that is precarious, mortal and relational.

I am here because some of the barriers that impeded me have been, if not removed, then softened, weakened. Shame, stigma, an internalised sense of being less-than, abnormal, sub-normal: these things are being slowly eroded. Not, fundamentally, through any great effort on my part, but through the accumulated efforts and energies of communities that have gone before me, and that exist around me.

How can we best flourish?

In late 2021, the Health Transformation Lab at RMIT University announced their Writing the Future of Health Fellowship . The successful writer would be paid for six months to work on a project of their choice. The call for applications emphasised innovation, creativity and collaboration. It invited a Melbourne writer to address the question: what does the future of health look like?

I proposed a collaboration: an anthology of poems, essays and hybrid pieces by disabled writers. It will be published next week, as Raging Grace: Australian Writers Speak Out on Disability .

I applied for the fellowship less than a year after the devastations of Australia’s Black Summer bushfires of 2019. Loss of lives, homes and livelihoods. Billions of animals dead or displaced. Smoke blanketed the sky and the trauma of it blanketed our lives. Then came COVID-19, which would kill millions worldwide. Its overwhelming burden was on poor and disabled bodies.

In Australia, 2020 was the year of lockdowns, social distancing and mask mandates, then vaccination, hope, resentment, disinformation, fear, fatigue. Quite quickly, it seems in retrospect, the talk was of “opening up”, “learning to live with it”. “The new normal” switched to “back to normal”. Everything felt scorched, fraught, ready to ignite again.

Those of us with experience of disability, neurodivergent people, those who live with chronic illness, depression, anxiety, trauma (I could go on) – we have unique and profound expertise on what health actually is, in the deepest sense, and what kind of environments allow us to survive and flourish.

The future of health, for all of us, I felt, depended on the health systems and the wider society being diagnosed by disabled people. It depended on us being integrally involved in imagining genuinely therapeutic futures.

‘An almost utopian daydream’

My fellowship pitch was an almost utopian daydream: collective empowerment and imagination in an era of crisis, precarity and isolation. What the project required was a community: diverse and open to each other.

I wanted a range of personal and bodily experiences, places of residence, cultural backgrounds, genders, sexualities and ages. In the end, a collective of 23 writers coalesced – poets, essayists, memoirists, thinkers, activists and community workers, but, above all, writers.

All of us in this project have first-hand experience of disability, neurodivergence, chronic pain and/or mental illness. The labels mean something, but we’re much larger than them. Men, women, non-binary folk; people of varying ages and cultural backgrounds, some First Nations, most not; queer, straight, cis, not; shy, vociferous, uncertain, confident, tired, in flux. People from many different corners of this continent.

Throughout 2022, we met in person and online. I called these meetings “workshops”. We looked at poems and essays together, thinking through the music and the bodily energies of the language. But these were really conversations: minimally guided, intensely honest and free-flowing conversations about what we have experienced, and what we know about how society creates and exacerbates disability.

We diagnosed the systems (health, bureaucratic, economic), and daydreamed utopian and practical therapeutic futures. In the process, across our diverse experiences, resonances and affinities sparked. Two people (or sometimes three or more) would begin to wonder what it might be like to write together with another particular person, around a certain theme or idea.

We wrote about the wild liberation of wheelchairs, the claustrophobia of shopping centres, the dehumanising tendencies of hospitals. We riffed on shame, ambivalence, love and sensitivity. We speculated about a future where consultancies run by people with autism and disability would help non-disabled people amplify their otherness, rather than the other way round. We interrogated the history and future of medical research. We thought together about racism, misogyny and eugenics. We sat beneath trees.

Sensitive listening and speaking

Every collaboration, for us, was a painstaking exercise in listening and speaking. This unpredictable, uncontrollable, expansive process determined both the process and the outcome. It was shaped by the energies each writer brought to the encounter, which were in turn shaped by preoccupations, traumas, aspirations, sensitivities, aesthetic inclinations and curiosities.

The most subtle, unforced collaborations sometimes resulted in poems in one coherent voice. The most intense, difficult collaborations sometimes led to two-column poems, with stark white space between them. This is as it should be. In any conversation, a burgeoning intimacy often makes our differences both more apparent, more significant, and yet also a little less obstructive.

I know my ache is not your pain, which is not their suffering. Why do I think myself alone? I am trying to quieten this murmur in my bones, so I can listen. – Gemma Mahadeo & Andy Jackson, from the poem Awry

In one collaboration, thinking of a spine that is not straight and a sexuality that is not straight, thinking of how we navigate public spaces differently and yet similarly, we each wrote a few lines of poetry each, until we had what felt like an entire poem. We then embarked on a process of editing, each time removing those elements of the piece that made it seem like two distinct voices. Our voices almost merged.

I extend my hand-cane hybrid towards the ground in front of me like a diviner – this path, this body, not the only crooked things… We yearn for the possibilities of another city, another body as we fall, knee-first onto the blunt fact of queer promise. – Bron Bateman & Andy Jackson from the poem Betrayal

In another collaboration, I was aware the other writer had experienced traumatic abuse, so I soon felt that when writing together – in a way that would not just be respectful but useful, for us both and for the poem – our voices would have to be distinct.

To dominate or erase another’s words, even with good intentions or under some pretence of “improving the poem”, would have been precipitous ground. The poem we ended up writing together was composed of two parallel voices, two wings. The air around them, and between us, held us up.

Assure child they are not at fault.   Refuse to be absolved of blame. Find the subliminal rhymes.   Broken as open. Other as wisdom.

– Leah Robertson & Andy Jackson, from the poem Debris

Rigour and care

Each collaboration had its own particular questions and dilemmas. Each one required rigour and care, patience and courage. There were many awkward little stumbles and pauses. Yet the process was also profoundly liberating. It felt like someone had opened a window, so that a stifling room finally had air and outlook.

My sense, too, was that with the windows flung open, those outside our world could see in, might begin to more deeply appreciate the innumerable ways bodies are marginalised. That readers of all kinds would see their own predicaments connected to ours. Disability as one dimension of injustice, a dimension that reminds us of the ground we share, flesh and earth. Disability as gravitational force.

There is something in the collective political and social atmosphere that suggests collaboration, working together, especially with people outside our usual circle, is either anathema or too difficult.

Think of any of the crises that are front of mind at the moment – the dialogue around the Voice referendum and the fallout from its defeat , the fraught process of ensuring a just transition away from fossil fuels , the long histories and cycles of war and revenge across the globe. You could even include your own intimate cul-de-sacs of unresolved conflict.

Corporate tech algorithms amplify our tribal attachments, assume and encourage our binarism, our quick, unthinking reactions. The blinkers are on, and are being tightened.

This is not, to state the obvious, desirable or in any way sustainable. Perhaps this is why, in the last five to ten years, there has been an increasing number of collaborative writing projects. Against the tide of hesitation and mistrust, a felt need to work together, within and across identities.

I’m thinking of Woven , the anthology of collaborative poetry by First Nations writers from here and other lands, edited by Anne Marie Te Whiu. John Kinsella’s careful and ethical collaborative experiments with Charmaine Papertalk-Green, Kwame Dawes and Thurston Moore.

Then there’s Audrey Molloy and Anthony Lawrence’s intensely lyrical and sensitive conversation in Ordinary Time . And Ken Bolton and Peter Bakowski’s four recent collaborative books , which contain an array of darkly humorous fictional and fictionalised characters. This is only the poetic tip of the iceberg of recent collaborations.

Writers are one group of people who are tuning in to the need to go beyond the isolation or echo chambers. They know that the stories we are told – the need to be self-reliant and independent, the impetus to be suspicious of the other, or even that sense of inferiority that makes us feel disqualified from contributing – aren’t carved in stone. Or if they are, the persistent drip and flow of water can do its liberatory, erosive (and constructive) work.

We have, after all, only survived as a species and as communities through collaboration and mutual support.

Of course, we know there are countless collaborations currently being orchestrated by malicious agents: fascists, racists, misogynists, cynical corporate shills astroturfing against essential urgent climate action, even (to some degree) the reflexive social-media pile-ons. People are always working together in some way, deeply connected and inter-responsive. Collaboration in itself is not some utopian panacea.

Disabled collaboration

So I want to suggest that only a particular kind of collaboration can be properly transformative, humanising and grounding. It’s a collaboration of deep attentiveness and mutual exposure: a way of being together in which we set our certainties and fears aside, to be present to the other, to allow the other to be themselves, and to be open to the otherness in ourselves, an encounter which sensitises us to the complexities and bodiliness of injustice.

Let’s call it disabled collaboration.

Let me explain. As a disabled person, you are constrained, walled out of important social spaces: there are only steps into the workplace, the performance isn’t translated, or the shop is non-negotiable sensory overload. Even if you do manage to enter these spaces, it is made clear to you that you don’t really belong. They might stare at you, or signal their discomfort with silence or overcompensation. (And, yes, the shift to second-person is deliberate.)

Unless you give up – and which of us would not admit to giving up sometimes, or in some part of ourselves? – you spend a lot of energy proposing, asking, suggesting, pleading, demanding. You know what you need to be able to live a life of nourishment, connection, pleasure. You speak, in your own voice, out of your particular situation, from across the barriers.

Perhaps disability is really essentially about this giving voice. About constantly having to express what is unheard – or perhaps sometimes unhearable – by the broader society.

This isn’t about transmitting thoughts or ideas. This is essentially a cry for connection, for help. For solidarity, allyship, change. What you’re after is collaboration: two or more people bringing their resources to bear upon a human situation, which may have fallen heavily on one person, but hovers over us all. Disabled people know this territory intimately. We regularly share much-needed information, resources, concern and time with each other.

This kind of collaboration, by definition, cannot assume an equality of voice, mode of operation or capacity. It is predicated on learning about difference and then responding to it: whether through listening, care work, protest or support.

This collaboration acknowledges and resists disadvantage, isolation and enforced voicelessness. It’s the kind of orientation towards another person that, I want to suggest, is exactly what might help us respond properly to the multiple, intersecting crises we find ourselves in.

It’s a listening not only to the concerns and experiences of the other, but an ambition to adapt to their particular way of expressing themselves.

To be clear, I’m not saying disabled people have any special talent for collaboration. We can be as bitter, isolationist, selfish or stubborn as any non-disabled person. In fact, there are aspects to being disabled that can encourage suspicion towards others, a scepticism that at times affords you the space to assess risk.

Can I trust this person with my needs, my life? It’s a caution that is understandable, and useful, but it can also keep us isolated. The cycle of othering depends on those othered doing some of the work, thinking this is all I deserve , or the perpetual doubtful thought of “maybe next time”.

On top of that, there are intersections of injustice that are particularly resistant. They don’t dissolve in the presence of collaboration, but require immense effort to shift.

In facilitating this project, I found that the most stubborn dividing factors were class and race. There are individualist, neoliberal dynamics at the core of funding guidelines and in our lives generally. Writing and publishing remain fields still dominated by white, middle-class connections and aesthetics.

When we sit down to write or work together, these things do not disappear. When writers are paid for their work, it does not mean the same thing for each person.

Throughout this project, I have asked myself a number of questions. How do I, as a funding recipient, ensure that my collaborators are not exploited or taken for granted? What assumptions do I carry, invisibly, about the merits of particular voices? Should I step back to give more space to Indigenous writers, culturally and linguistically diverse writers, queer writers? How do we speak together within a poem or essay in a way that reaffirms common cause without diminishing the very real differences?

These difficult questions have not been resolved. Still, their intractability really only reinforces my wider point. We need to engage together in a way that is predicated on difference, exposure, vulnerability and mutual support. If disability is the imprint or shadow of bodily injustice, then collaborating in a disabled way, consciously, can radically expand our understanding of our shared predicament.

What happens within the process of disabled collaboration is akin to the words in Sarah Stivens and Jasper Peach’s poem, Crack & Burn:

Different bodies with the same fears, different aches with the same stories Our brains tell us that we’re alone, but we know not to believe them … When we gather in numbers it’s impossible to feel less than because all I see – everywhere I look – is raging grace and powerful repose.

The experience foreshadows, in a small but potent way, the future we wish to live in.

What might disabled collaboration achieve? The poem Coalescent, written by Beau Windon, myself, Michèle Saint-Yves, Robin M Eames and Ruby Hillsmith, suggests a hopeful answer:

overturning the old regime of normalcy for something strange / / something glorious / / something new

• Collaboration
• Friday essay
• Disability coverage
• Social model of disability
• New research, Australia New Zealand

Economics Editor

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services)

Director and Chief of Staff, Indigenous Portfolio

Chief People & Culture Officer

Lecturer / senior lecturer in construction and project management.