I do not think that voluntary service should be mandatory for everyone in the US.
Among other things, one of the essential pieces of volunteer work is, well, the voluntary nature of service. Volunteers are motivated by a combination of the benefit the individual can provide, combined with the benefit derived from the activity for the person volunteering. For some, they complete structured internships to learn a new skill. For others, it’s AmeriCorps VISTA that provides a rare insight into the mechanics of fighting poverty. For others, it’s a weekend planting flowers to help a senior center and to promote the family business.
When service or duties are compulsory, apathy occurs, followed by an increase in transactional behaviors and interactions. Sometimes, volunteering just isn’t someone’s thing.
While compulsory volunteer service for all youths has the potential to produce more well-rounded individuals, I don’t think this benefit is worth losing one’s freedom of choice.
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That's kind of a double sided issue there. Sure, making whole high schools do volunteer service would increase the amount being done. But at the same time it would build rather severe bitterness or people would just try to slack off.
I don't think it's so much that it's mandatory shouldn't people want to help in their community and want to do something for those less fortunate. The reason it is mandatory in at least some schools is to help build character. I don't believe you are losing a freedom of choice, volunteering options are plentiful or rather innumberable, oftentimes you can find something that counts as a community service but is something you enjoy doing. For example, you hate serving food to the poor but you love to perform, so perform at a benefit for the poor. You want to help get scholarships but your not up to performing in front of your whole town on the annual Telethon, but you've got no problem answering phones for those that our willing to send in money. There are many options out there that enable one the ability to do something enjoyable and help the community at the same time.
shouldn't volunteer work be voluntary?
~Freddie
haha-- good point.
I agree with Brittainy. get in where you fit in. some folks like talking to people, go to an elderly home and talk to them . SOme folks like art, set up art classes for underprivileged youth at a local community center. there are so many options like Brittainy said. Thank you so much.
i agree with this too. there are options for everyone, and you can learn a lot from volunteering...
i think that people would be surprised by how much fun it is too!
There's certainly going to be a lot of volunteer opportunities in any community, but should that be a condition required for graduation or for, really, anything?
As a society, we tend to see it as a goal that everyone contribute to their community and see civic volunteering as a benefit and valuable pursuit. However, we also value personal choice and freedom, independent of coercion.
Volunteering in one's community can be a means toward an end. Volunteering, ideally, shouldn't necessarily be something that one does simply to satisfy a requirement or a choice made to avert other detrimental consequences. Just as we should encourage people to volunteer of their own free will (without strings attached or as a requirement), we should also abolish penalties or negative consequences for those who choose not to volunteer.
There are other, free, ways to encourage civicmindedness and personal development that benefit the community that are exclusive of required volunteer hours.
Hey I do think it should be enforced. I mean the communitie's taxes pay for their food and school, the least they could do is help out for 1 day or too. How busy are they that they don't have 1 day to spare?
I think political officials should be forced to volunteer with the high school kids too-- on a real hard slimey volunteer project...
hard, laborious work.... so they can see what it is like to do tough (physical) labor... i mean, too often it seems like politicans have no idea how hard people work at low-income jobs.
WORD!
because mandatory volunteer work would lack the drive that is needed to make volunteer work worthwhile