Essay Sample: Should Volunteer Work be Mandatory for Teenagers?

Do you think that making students do hours upon hours of volunteer work in order for them to graduate? (BI) In many states, it is required students to do volunteer work to get their high school diploma, And if they don't then they fail. (CA) Some may say, this work is needed for them to do, it helps them know what it's like working a job and has them learn other skills. (R) However, what those people are failing to think about is that students have other activities in their lives, not to mention still having to go to school and all the other activities school requires. Students should not need to do volunteer work to graduate, we should end this because it might leave a negative effect and students do not have the time. Firstly, the impression forced work gives. No one wants to do work that they are told and forced to do. And later on, they would see the volunteer work as unneeded to do after school because there is no deadline to fill. For instance “ Because of forced work, students may hesitate to explore volunteering as an adult. This is a huge drawback because there are genuine benefits to volunteering.” *(Mandatory Volunteer Work Does More Harm Than Good p3) (CA) It could be argued that studies show that many of the people that do this work like it and find it fulfilling. ( R) But, the people that ask do the work of their own free will and do it because they enjoy it. But many who are forced do not like it, for example, “ People volunteer because they have extra time and energy to give, and they genuinely want to help. Students that are forced to volunteer may resent the demand on their time, and therefore perform the work grudgingly.”(Mandatory Volunteer Work Does More Harm Than Good p3) Secondly, students do not have the time. Some people don't have the time to do all this extra work and most value their free time and don't want to give it up. For example “ Should students have to sacrifice one hour of socializing per day or sacrifice an hour of precious family time? These options just don't make sense making more demands on teens' packed schedules can have side effects.'' * (Mandatory Volunteer Work Does More Harm Than Good p2 ) (CA) Some may say, there are plenty of students that have the free time to do the work and do so of their free will. (R) On the other hand, if some do it of their own will then let them do that don't make everyone else also do it. And “ since volunteer work is clearly popular among teenagers, it is safe to assume that the minority of teenagers who do not volunteer are only choosing not to participate because they do not have the time.”(Mandatory Volunteer Work Does More Harm Than Good p 5) Finally, teenagers should not be forced to do volunteer work. (summary) They don't want to volunteer later in life and most students just don't have the time to do so. (CTA) So we should work together to end this forced volunteer work on high schoolers.