Volunteering: Mandatory or Not?

In public high school, it is mandatory for students to complete community service hours in order to graduate. The argument is whether or not it beneficial for the students in the long run. High school students doing volunteer work is proven to better a community but by making it mandatory is can create a dislike towards giving back and defeat the purpose of a selfless act.

Mandatory volunteering is proven to have a negative effect on high school student. Source 7 shows a survey that was taken amongst youth and they were asked if they were favorable or unfavorable to requiring community service for a high school diploma. It showed that younger kids did not enjoy it but as they got older were more in favor. Making it mandatory puts a sour taste in teens mouths, rather than letting them do it out of the goodness of their heart. There is no doubt that community service is “something that needs to be done”, but would we rather have people who are actually enjoying the fact that they are giving back or people who are miserable because it is being forced upon them.

The definition of a volunteer is “a person who freely offers to take part in an