As the school year winds down and schedules start to clear up, suddenly there comes the need to fill some free time during the summer. While it may seem tempting to be lazy and lay around for a majority of the summer, filling that time with extra opportunities and giving back seems much more worthwhile.

During the school year, students constantly receive emails and school announcements regarding extra-curricular opportunities and jobs inside of the community. When they leave for the summer, it all comes down to them to help out within the community, whether that’s different school clubs or scanning the boards and handouts in the Career Center.

The in school experience can continue into the summer and beyond high school as long as we make the effort to do so. With all the free time that students have on their hands in the summer, utilizing that time to do activities or volunteer work that has the ability to give back to the community seems much more beneficial.

Without giving back, it becomes easy to fall into a rut of doing the same thing each day, which doesn’t benefit anyone. Not only does volunteering help the community, but it also gives a sense of pride and achievement. There is no better feeling than being able to contribute to another’s life or community, a much better feeling than laying on the couch in the air conditioning taking nothing away from the experience.

Another opportunity that is beneficial to participate in is getting a summer job. During the school year, students schedules can get packed whether that has to do with an overload of schoolwork, sports or other extracurricular activities. The summer is the time to get the work experience before the next school year starts again.

According to The Classroom, a group education platform, getting a job over the summer promotes responsibility and provides financial education to students. By getting a job, students have the ability to earn money and decide what to do with their earned money. This then promotes responsibility which can lead to young people doing better in school, according to the Boston Private Industry Council.

While it is important to have enough free time to relax, it is also important to be able to go out into the community through volunteering and working in a slice of that free time and have the ability to develop independence and responsibility that can build student profiles as well as for the future.