Community Service: Optional or Mandatory for Students

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Thesis: High school students should be required to participate in community service because it teaches them community values, benefits the community, and benefits their mental health.

First, participating in community service should be required for high school students because it teaches them community values. Aaron Heldt from The Bridge Teen Center says that they develop skills such as "better communication, teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, and time-management" (Heldt). They might not learn some of these in a classroom setting because of the emphasis on individual success; these skills would also benefit them professionally because employers are looking for young adults with community values.

Second, participating in community service should be required for high school students because it benefits the community. Heldt says that communities need all kinds of services such as working with animals, children, working at food banks, using math skills, using writing and communication skills, helping at a museum or national park, helping people at homeless shelters and nursing homes (Heldt). Young adults who serve in their community are more likely to continue to outreach throughout their lives, and our communities need people like that.

Lastly, participating in community service should be required for high school students because it benefits their mental health. Many students complain of having mental health issues from being confined to a desk all day, and the stress of academic standards wears on their ability to thrive. Taking a break from the classroom and reaching out helps them gain perspective on life and benefits them physically and mentally. Kathy Wilmore, author of "Should You Have to Do Community Service" argues that most children are already too busy with sports and extracurricular activities, but according to Heldt, students would benefit more from a stress-free and philanthropic activity. He says, 

"Researchers have discovered humans are hard-wired to give to others. This means the more students give, the happier they feel. Students can increase their self-confidence through the feeling of achievement they get from donating their time. Staying physically active while volunteering has shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain, reduce the risk of heart disease, and lower a person's mortality rate"(Heldt).

This website , "115 Community Service Examples With List of Extracurricular Activities" has tons of ideas and resources.

-Annika V.

Sources: 

Heldt, Aaron. "The Importance of Community Service." The Bridge Teen Center, 17 Feb 2022. https://thebridgeteencenter.org/news/the-importance-of-community-service-in-a-teens-life

Wilmore, Kathy. "Should You Have to Do Community Service." Junior Scholastic, 11 Nov 2019. https://junior.scholastic.com/issues/2019-20/111119/should-you-have-to-do-community-service.html#:~:text=Volunteering%20can%20have%20important%20benefits,don't%20have%20the%20time.

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                       image credit:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/high-school-volunteering-as-some-struggle-to-secure-hours-others-raise-bar-1.3201991

Thesis: Teenagers in their junior and senior of high school should be required to do community service before graduating because it can benefit them professionally, academically, and personally.

First and foremost, teenagers in their junior and senior years are more responsible than their younger counterparts and can choose volunteer work that aligns with their career interests. By the time students enter college, most of them have not had the opportunity to figure out what it is they are passionate about or interested in. By doing community service, these students about to leave high school can try many different things without the pressure of being a major right away. The benefits that come from community service and volunteering are endless as well. In the article, "The Importance of Community Service in a Teen's Life," Aaron Heldt explains, "Contacts made through volunteering often lead to letters of recommendation, references, and help with finding job opportunities." Some seniors struggle to find recommendation letters for colleges and jobs. Volunteering and community service can help them find numerous amount of people to vouch for them and their capabilities. 

In addition to helping teenagers gain professional benefits, community service can help them academically too. Students who volunteer use their math, English, and communication skills taught in school and find a new interest in taking their schoolwork seriously. This is also due to scholars finding role models outside of school and in the real world. People who inspire them and make them want to do better and be more. Aaron Heldt also mentions that doing any volunteer work will benefit a student, whether by gaining new working skills, connections, or with college applications. 

However, some parents or teachers may argue that mandatory volunteering would affect grades, is a considerable time commitment, and is unpaid work. Students who already participate in clubs or athletics would struggle to find the time to add another burden. It would also be unfair to those students who have more on their plate vs. students who are not as busy. A few would also argue that making community service a mandatory task would take away from students doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. 

Without a doubt, volunteering would be a difficult task to maintain for some students, but the benefits far outweigh the bad. Community service can help increase the self-esteem of students in their personal lives. In her article, "Five Benefits of Teen Volunteering," Mary Krippner adds that "Acts of philanthropy can lead to a greater feeling of self-worth because helping others is fun and can help a teen reflect on what they have and enhance their sense of purpose." Teenagers already struggle with self-esteem issues from watching television and being on social media and among peers. Volunteering can give many students the much-needed boost in self-confidence that they would not find in school.

In conclusion, community service has many benefits that help students throughout their lives, from assisting them in building self-confidence by working with others outside of school and learning how to deal with different people. Students can gain connections that they would not have gotten and recommendations from mentors outside of school. While making volunteer work mandatory could disturb schoolwork and other commitments, the good outweighs the bad. When deciding if community service should be mandatory or not for students to graduate, the answer should be yes for all the fantastic opportunities it can allow. 

-Angel Hunter

Works Cited

Heldt, Aaron. “The Importance of Community Service in a Teen's Life.” The Bridge, 17 Feb. 2021, https://thebridgeteencenter.org/news/the-importance-of-community-service-in-a-teens-life.

Krippner, Mary. “Five Benefits of Teen Volunteering.” United Way of Central Minnesota, https://www.unitedwayhelps.org/blog/5-benefits-of-teen-volunteering.

“Reasons Why Community Service Should Not Be Required for Graduation.” Lisbdnet.com, 31 Dec. 2021, https://lisbdnet.com/reasons-why-community-service-should-not-be-required-for-graduation/.