Fostering Democratic Leadership or Reinforcing Elite Education?
Almost universally across all elite schools, the practice of community service appears to be a fundamental value. But has anyone ever really asked the question why? What exactly is the purpose of emphasizing community service in the context of an elite education? More specifically, I want to consider this idea with respect to Olive Grove Academy, an elite boarding school in Jordan.
At Olive Grove Academy, community service is undeniably more than just an extracurricular activity. Integrated into governing principles, it is embedded into their school identity. But does this commitment to service truly foster democratic leadership, or is it simply an extension of elite education, preparing students for philanthropic responsibility rather than systemic change?
Upon closer look, the answer is not simply one or the other. Based on student and alumni interviews, service at Olive Grove Academy does seem effective at exposing students to social inequalities. However, it’s not always long lasting and students’ motivation for civic engagement is often not aligned with that of democratic leaders. We will take a look at both perspectives to better understand its role, but a quick note before doing so is that while community service is highly encouraged, it is not mandatory. The school does everything in its power to enable students to participate in service initiatives, sponsoring and facilitating all sorts of opportunities, but students don’t technically have to engage if they do not want to (although most students do actively participate).
Now, as mentioned previously, community service is an effective way to expose Olive Grove Academy students to social inequalities. As an elite institution, this breaks students out of the so-called “bubble” of privilege, even if only temporarily, that the students are fully surrounded by at the school — one of the most significant ways that community service fosters democratic leadership at Olive Grove Academy. One student highlighted how it increased her awareness of economic and educational disparities while another mentioned gaining a deeper understanding of the meaning of systemic injustice. These experiences emphasize the mental push that community service gives students to think critically about their own role in the social problems they are encountering — a core part of what democratic leadership means.
Students’ experiences fundamentally shape the way in which they reflect on privilege and responsibility, and several different students note that volunteering made them more conscious of the advantages and opportunities they were offered. Additionally, the student-led community service programs that Olive Grove Academy supports gives students the chance to be able to actively take on a leadership position for a social initiative that is impactful to them. This serves to add deeper layers to students’ learning experience.
For instance, two students talk about independent service programs they initiated, which include a charity event for local causes and an online program to teach Arabic to non-native speakers. Through these experiences, Olive Grove Academy students are not only introduced to democratic values of equity and civic engagement but are also given opportunities to practice leadership in tangible ways.
Although community service at Olive Grove Academy, in many ways, does seem to encourage democratic leadership, a lot of students do also recognize it as an extension of elite education, reinforcing privilege rather than actually challenging systemic inequality. More than one student admitted that volunteering, while impactful, primarily functions for them as a resume-building tool rather than a true motivation to better a community and make social change. Similarly, a student noted that most of her classmates only participate in community service because it is expected of them, either by the school, peers, or family, highlighting the importance of community service on college applications.
With a lack of personal conviction at heart, long-term commitment to these projects is almost unheard of. Very few are invested enough to actually get involved or take direct action to address the issues they are exposed to — the bread and butter of true democratic leadership. In the big picture, students do walk away from their experiences with a sense of social responsibility. However, the student testimony makes it hard to ignore how the inherent structure of Olive Grove Academy as an elite institution reinforces philanthropic engagement over true, and genuine political action.
As a third party getting to look at this picture from a perspective that has no direct personal stake in the matter, it might be easy to make a judgement or conclusion about what you think. But, in all reality, this exists at the intersection of democratic and elite education, meaning that both perspectives don’t necessarily need to be mutually exclusive. It is very likely that every student’s experience is different, whether it be one way or the other, or even some combination of both. For this reason, it is impossible to come up with a “one size fits all” answer. However, Olive Grove Academy’s approach to service reflects a broader tension within elite education, introducing students to social responsibility but stopping short of dismantling the power structures that create inequality in the first place. Thus, it is essentially left to the students at this point. Every student is different therefore the effectiveness of community service in a school encouraging democratic leadership is entirely dependent on how deeply students choose to internalize and interact with the lessons they learn in the classroom and the world.
