As the college selection process has become more selective than ever before, high schools have adapted in attempts to create students that are appealing within the college application process. One fundamental factor that has increased in significance over recent decades is community service as an extracurricular. Colleges admire an individual’s dedication to community service, as it reflects the love for their current community and ways they may bolster their new community once at the university. In a sense, community service has become a form of capital; the more hours a student has, the more committed they are to their communities. Community service is such a popular extra curricular amongst high school students nowadays that to not have even limited volunteer hours is frowned upon. In order to institute this, many schools mandate that students complete a certain number of hours to receive their diploma. Should high schools require community service hours?
YES:
Many argue that community service should be mandated because they believe that many students would not pursue community service independently, and schools should be responsible for guiding students towards new opportunities and relationships students may not have been sought independently. By requiring a specific number of volunteer hours, schools expose students to injustices, lifestyles, and career options that students may be unaware of or unprepared to engage with. Students may be able to join new communities or fortify the bond with their own which encourages the development of their consciences and instill civic values.
NO:
However, many are opposed to mandatory community service hours because they believe enforcing community service takes away from the value and sincerity of volunteering. Not mandating hours ensures that those who take part in volunteering are more likely to do so for moral reasons rather than to improve their resume or extracurriculars. If students are inclined to volunteer, schools should not be liable to interfere as it does not directly relate to academic matters. Additionally, schools must take into consideration that students who are obligated to work to financially support themselves or their family may not be able to spare excess time completing mandatory community service hours.
CONCLUSION:
Although I do not believe there is a perfect solution, I believe schools should ideally enforce a minimal amount of mandatory community service hours. The hours required should be reasonable so that students are able to become comfortable with volunteering and gain sufficient exposure, as too many hours may significantly involve after-school hours that are typically reserved for other commitments, extracurriculars, and academic retention. Schools should instill students with the values of hard work, dedication, and helping others early on. Therefore, I believe schools should enforce community service while students are maturing so they can begin volunteering in a low-pressure environment and are able to gradually acquire roles that exert responsibility and independence as they feel more comfortable. Additionally, schools should introduce mandatory school-wide community service events that take place during regular school hours so students do not have any interfering commitments and are able to engage alongside their classmates. Schools should offer a variety of service-oriented opportunities to students so students are encouraged to participate in non-traditional forms of community service that may be compatible with their talents or passions.
Despite this, it is important to remember that each school caters to a unique student body and upholds different values. Some schools may not have the financial resources to offer service opportunities to their students or may not be able to use time that is reserved for in-class learning to do school-wide community service days. Furthermore, it may be difficult to organize service events for a larger student body if this is not one of the school’s priorities.
We must keep in mind how COVID will change schools’ relationships with mandatory community service hours. Given that most students will continue to take part in remote learning, I wonder if schools will continue to enforce volunteer hours since it is harmful for students to spend excess time looking at screens. Thus, we must continue to brainstorm creative ways to allow students to help their communities thrive despite being socially distanced.
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