Last week, I agreed to do some volunteer work at a local grade school. We cleaned up and re-painted 2 basketball courts in Harlem. The work was managed by a public/private partnership of the NYC Parks Department. I was able to get some first hand knowledge on why we need volunteers so much.
The most interesting thing I noticed was how ill-prepared our Parks Department representative was. Leaves were all over the courts and needed to be removed. There were 3 men with small bags doing this work. Slowly. Clearly union work. I offered to grab some bags and start getting the leaves off, but was told no, these men would do it. After removing about one-eighth of all the leaves, they left. Gone, finished. Nothing left behind to finish the job of removing leaves. Our representative had all the tools we needed to paint - but we were going to have to paint with leaves in the way and blowing all over the courts. I saw, at the start, this was a clinic in how the government manages things.
The next thing I observed were the kids I worked with. I volunteered with 18 other members of my company, almost all younger than myself and under the age of 30. Clearly none had ever painted before. I tried to explain why we should start in a far corner of the first court so the rising sun could help dry the paint, and we could continue to paint in sunshine all day. But no, they chose to start in the sun and work towards the growing shade. As the shade increased, one proclaimed "Hm, I guess we should've started over in that far corner." I know they are young, and I know none have owned a home like I have, probably fewer have done any manual labor in their life. However, as a youth, I learned to defer to the guy with experience. Millenials rarely do this. They charge in, full of good intent and an idea, usually lacking a plan.
It was also clear they'd never used paint rollers. We were using 3 different colors to define sections of the court. They would roll haphazardly, spattering different colors on finished portions of the court. Apparently, they were unaware rollers can throw off a spray. Several complained they had worn the wrong clothes. Indeed, some nice pairs of sneakers and jeans will find their way to the trash bin. Yes, we received notification to wear clothes which were suitable for destruction.
The young representative from the Parks Department overseeing the work tried very hard, but was not adding much value. She worked with us, but she didn't know how to use the tools properly and didn't have a plan. In a sense, I felt bad for her. She honestly wanted to do well and right by people. She was clearly out of her depth, though. We would ask what to do, what was next, and she would reply "I'm not sure, I think whatever we can finish is good."
My final observation, and perhaps the most bothersome part of the day, was watching a woman drag a young girl out of the school and begin yelling at her. Based on the yelling, which was impossible to ignore as it was only ten feet away, this girl had bullied another, smaller, girl and the teachers had called this adult, who was the girls parent. The mother was pushing the girl against the wall, challenging her to a fight, using four-letter words, embarrassing and bullying the child. I was trying to determine if I should call for assistance when I realized this was the girl's mother.
Before I'd realized this, I commented "Perhaps we shouldn't be seeing this, teachers shouldn't treat children like this. No wonder our school systems are such a mess." When it was made clear this was the girl's mother, I was stunned. It's no surprise these children have difficulty learning. I wonder if this is a parent who complains about her child's poor performance in school because the government doesn't spend enough, or doesn't give her enough? If so, perhaps parents like this need to look in the mirror and wonder about the way they treat their own children. Bullying might be a problem, but you don't fix it by bullying your own child.
I'm happy I volunteered, and I like giving back to the community whenever I am able to do so. But it's no wonder some communities need so much given back to them. Between the government, the other well-meaning volunteers, and the parents, I was left with no doubt why things are such a mess in the world, at times. Meaning well is not the same as doing well.
I will continue to volunteer no matter how many mediocre experiences like this I have. Call it a belief in karma, or just a belief in doing the 'right thing' (whatever that is). We should all try to lend a hand whenever we can. The key word, of course, is 'should'. I do not believe in making something like this a 'must'. You cannot force people to do the right thing. Not only is 'the right thing' undefinable, forcing someone to do good doesn't make them good, and it usually doesn't garner the results you'd hoped for.
