The Editor, Sir:

Out of an educational discussion a group of us educators were having on the ROSE curriculum recently about the need for increasing volunteerism among high school students in preparing them for the 'real world', I remembered my alma mater, St George's College. That school, being a Catholic institution, emphasised the adage, 'men for others'. This was the aim/claim of the institution. They were creating men who would live to serve the community, they said.

Involvement

To graduate from the school at fifth form you had to join a club or society. When you reached sixth-form you had to be involved in a 'ministry', which meant doing voluntary service at an old age home, orphanage, almshouse, shelter, inner-city primary school et al . This gave us all a sense of purpose and community, humanitarianism, philanthropy and egalitarianism. It reminds me of German philosopher Martin Heidegger and his philosophy of 'dasein', 'being there, in-the-world'.

Heidegger, an existentialist, believed that existence in the world was/is a negative experience. Anxiety, stress, confusion, doubt and all these negatives, the philosophy says, characterise our lives as humans in this world. But, unlike other existentialists like Sartre and Camus, Heidegger believed one can find purpose in 'participation'. His idea of parti-cipation, though, is not quite the same as ours. By participation, he meant being aware of our "thrownness on to death" (we are thrown into the world without choice as to who we are and we are on a progression to death, like it or not). The only way then to make meaning of life is to participate actively and consciously in the experience of existence.

Helping youngsters

I take this to mean 'getting involved'. Volunteerism not only helps a young person's (or not so young) résumé because employers like employees who will 'go the extra mile', but it also builds responsibility, initiative, compassion and integrity. These are all good ethical qualities/higher virtues that will take one through life (and beyond maybe?). They are also the crux of the 'hidden curriculum', the underlying values that education should promote in building the 'good citizen' . These are some of the reasons why volunteerism should be promoted in schools. It will help our youths to be more civil. Incidentally, the man in charge of the programme at St George's, Martin Schade, came to teach me metaphysics (philosophy) at university; now I'm assisting him in the area.

I am, etc.,

NICHOLAS ALEXANDER

jamaicayouth@yahoo.com

nic7lex@hotmail.com