Is ‘service’ the best word?

I’ve been trying to read through a week’s worth of blogs — I’ll probably never get to all of them! — but there are a few that really stick out for me. This description of the fiasco of the official youth ball, especially WHY it was a fiasco is definitely worth reading. And this discussion of whether or not “service” is the best word for what we ought to be encouraging is important: perhaps we ought to instead be talking about civic action. I think what both of these eloquent young people who write are getting at, is that youth ought to have a seat at the table, not simply be “served” by their elders.