Why We Need ESSO

There are many ESSO club opportunities open for Exeter students, and a lot of us are taking advantage of these opportunities. But with such a busy schedule and so many commitments to other clubs, is being an active part of an ESSO club really worth it?

The obvious reason for being in an ESSO club is to provide services to members of the community. While we all understand the benefits that community service provides, we don’t often think about the what exactly we can gain from it. By teaching basketball to little kids or playing games with senior citizens, Exonians develop the compassion and empathy that is so lacking from the competitive and self-centered environment in our regular schedules.

In the end, the importance of community service comes down to building your character.

At Exeter, we live relatively isolated from the harsh realities of the rest of the world. ESSO clubs provide a way to escape this “Exeter bubble” and interact with people from different backgrounds and beliefs. Not only do you get to meet people outside the Exeter community, but inside as well. Often we stick within our friend circles and don’t get to know all the talented and interesting people on campus. Participating in ESSO clubs can help you meet new people.

As driven individuals who want to change the world, we look for ways to have an impact and apply our skills. The problem is, however, if you sit waiting for your biggest opportunity to land on your doorstep, you will never take initiative. Instead, we should start small. Apply your learning into meaningful projects that serve the community. Lowers Raj Das, Ogechi Nwankwoala, Yaseen Ahmed, Calvin Henaku and Andrew Liquigan founded a non-profit organization, Project for Better Education, which takes such an initiative. Their organization provides students in remote areas with limited resources access to education using pre-existing communication systems in the area such as SMS or telephone. As Exonians, we have the rare opportunity to make an impact, and the best place to start is through community service.

I suspect that one reason some of us join ESSO clubs is to improve our applications to colleges. While the benefit of having “ESSO co-head” on your application is real, I think it is a shallow and self-centered reason to involve yourself in an ESSO club. If you’re part of an ESSO club solely for it to benefit your personal college admissions and career, you’re not getting the point of ESSO. The desire to help others around you should come from within, and interacting with new people and teaching them something meaningful should bring fulfillment to your life, not cross off a line on your college admissions checklist.

I think requiring students to sign up for ESSO clubs takes away the value of community service. In the same way that college admission is not the right incentive to serve your community, required service also removes a genuine desire to contribute.

In the end, the importance of community service comes down to building your character. In the recent assembly about character development, the key phrase, “If not me, then who?” was emphasized. While this phrase referred to the sense of duty within us, I think it can apply to community service as well. It emphasizes the importance in making the world a better place. If you don’t seize that opportunity, then who will? Keeping this phrase in mind, I encourage you to look at your community here at Exeter or back home and ask yourself, “What can I do?” A good place to start is by joining an ESSO club.