The Community Recycling Drive

In the picture, the children are collecting recyclable items such as cardboard, plastic bottles and old newspapers at a community recycling drive. They are helping residents to carry the items and sorting them into different bins or bags. Volunteers and an elderly resident are also in the picture. What I also noticed is that the children are carrying items for an elderly lady, so they are helping the residents as much as the environment.

My block held a Deepavali celebration at the void deck last year, and my family helped to set up the tables and chairs beforehand. I was in charge of handing out packets of snacks to the children, and I ended up meeting neighbours I had only ever seen in the lift. One uncle from the fourth floor still greets me by name whenever we meet. I did not expect a single afternoon to change how familiar my own block felt.

Yes, I feel students should be encouraged to join. Community events teach us that we are part of a neighbourhood and not just a family, and it is much harder to be inconsiderate towards people you actually know. They also give us useful practice in talking to adults and working with strangers, which school does not always provide. However, I feel it should be encouraged rather than made compulsory, because volunteering only teaches the right lesson when it is genuinely willing.