Mandatory Volunteerism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mandatory Volunteerism - Essay Example A current debate that is seemingly drawing a lot of focus revolves around whether community service ought to be made mandatory within the high schools in America. Many schools stipulate that to qualify for graduation, students are obliged to take part in community service for a predetermined period. The proponents of mandatory community service intimate that it develops leadership skills among students. It is a stepping-stone for future job positions that value leadership. On the counterargument side, opponents argue that community service should not be made a subject of force. Opponents hold that it is a bad idea for schools to bend the arms of students to volunteer. In spite of the fact that teaching students to offer voluntary services to the community is ideal, establishing a systemic requirement that compels them to do so is a grave mistake. They hold that volunteerism is an essential value to instill upon teenagers but it is the role of parents, not teachers, to pass the value on to the developing teenagers. Volunteering in the community ought not be a prerequisite for any achievement, in this case a quantifiable tenet for students to attain prior to submitting their forms. The counterargument intimates that true volunteerism ought to emerge from the will of an individual and the motivation they have to help others. Making it mandatory therefore functions to kill that drive. By making volunteering mandatory, school officials are in essence replicating the mandatory system ascribed to penitentiaries all over the country. Moreover, by implementing mandatory volunteerism, students carry the extra burden of an external criterion that is a prerequisite for graduation. A considerable number of students tend to concur with this paradigm as cited by a survey carried out by the council charged with the excellence of the