Though a recent report named college-aged people are less likely to do volunteer work than other age groups, some KU students are trying to break that trend.

The report, issued by the United States Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics, said, between September 2006 and September 2007, about 18 percent of people aged 20 to 24 volunteer, compared to about 25 percent of people between 16 and 19 and about 23 percent of those between 25 and 34.

Ryan Campbell, Clarissa Unger and John Gawin represent a few of the KU students who are active volunteers. Whether each student’s passion for volunteering was sparked as a child or after coming to college, they

now balance their regular volunteer activities with schoolwork.

Why they do it

Paul Johnson, professor of political science, said recent studies have been done that may link volunteering to certain hormones.

He said a hormone called oxytocin, released when people “behave in a cooperative way,” could incite a “pleasant” feeling in those who experience it. A July article in Time Magazine also noted oxytocin’s ability to increase feelings of generosity.

But chemicals aren’t the only thing to consider. Johnson said there was good evidence that volunteering could also become habitual.

“My guess would be that they enjoy a feeling of involvement and leadership,” Johnson said.

He added that some programs, such as Leadershape, at the University encourage students to become more actively involved with organizations and groups.

Younger Years

For Ryan Campbell, Olathe senior and Queers and Allies executive director, the call to activism began at age 11 when he was in the Boy Scouts of America, learning to tie knots, build fires and survive outdoors. But Campbell said Boy Scouts was more than learning survival skills.

“I feel that it has enhanced my leadership abilities,” Campbell said. “Years and years of Boy Scouts has sharpened my ability to interact with other people and give me different skills that I’m so grateful for.”

Clarissa Unger, Colby senior, also began volunteering when she was young. Unger, who was part of a youth group at her church, said the group would travel to Denver and work at homeless shelters or package medical supplies to send to foreign countries.

“It definitely instilled in me a service to my community,” she said.

In high school, Unger was also the president of student council and was a member of Supporting Our Students, a peer advisory group.

A Different way to start out

John Gawin, Abilene senior and Greenpeace business intern, said although politics had always been interesting to him, he wasn’t involved with activism until college. Now, Gawin volunteers for Greenpeace, an environmental organization, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America. The program matches college students with a grade school student, with whom they spend an hour once per week.

“A lot of kids that age need positive morals in their lives,” Gawin said. “They may not have a positive family setting and I’m glad that I can make a positive impact on a child’s life.”

College and Activism

When Unger came to college, her passion for volunteer work continued to grow. She received a scholarship through the Dole Institute, which helped pay the bills but also required her to volunteer 100 hours per year during her college career.

In February 2007, Unger became involved with a group in Lawrence dedicated to President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign. She traveled to Chicago for the summer of 2008, where she served unpaid as a regional coordinator for the Obama campaign.

Unger worked 300 hours drafting press releases, coordinating conference calls and collecting information for state directors before the Democratic National Convention in August.

“I really don’t think I could have ever had a better experience for what I want to do with my life,” Unger said. “The connections I made and the people I got to work with were incredible.”

In January, Unger will leave for an unpaid internship in Brussels, Belgium, working for the U.S. Missions for the European Union, which works to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and the E.U.

Campbell, Queers and Allies executive director, said he discovered his passion for Queers and Allies his sophomore year when he was elected as Q&A’s representative to Student Senate.

Campbell also participated in Alternative Breaks when he attended the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C., with six other students. The group spent the first two days volunteering at the largest homeless shelter in the country and the next two days living as homeless people on the streets of D.C.

“The experience truly made me realize how hard some people’s lives are and how wonderful and easy I have it,” he said.

Upon graduating, Campbell plans to go into speech writing for politicians and said he would continue to do volunteer work.

Gawin said he planned to work for Greenpeace post-graduation, but said he would also consider working for Stand for Children, an organization that works to improve public education for children. Gawin’s areas of study point to his interests ­— he will graduate in May 2009 with a degree in political science and a minor in peace and conflict studies.

“As a college student, I’ve had the privilege to receive a world-class education,” he said. “To me, it would all go to waste if I didn’t use these skills to give back to the human family.”

— — Edited by Mary Sorrick