Community service is essential not only to the community but also the people conducting it. It has been known to assist communities’ access the services that they would otherwise not be able to access. Besides, the people performing community service get some form of citizenship and valuable job skills that will help them in their life. Community service should be made mandatory for students in high school because of the benefits they acquire from the activity. Furthermore, it should be a requirement for them to earn a diploma because it is more educational rather than exploitative.
Community service teaches students some form of servant leadership. As students are the leaders of tomorrow, they should be encouraged to undertake community service in their early years to avoid unacceptable behaviors when they grow up. They will know the essence of helping others in their future workplaces or communities. Besides, if they will want to run for political posts, they will know the value of helping their communities through passing policies that are of the greater good (Current Events). They will also learn valuable traits that will help them in their jobs.
Community service teaches students to be responsible and learn the value of helping others. Responsibility comes from an individual making the right decisions. When students decide to engage in voluntary community service, their decision making will be not only important for them but also for the others. In addition, it teaches the students their civic responsibility of helping those in need (Newquist). If students are not taught the importance of helping the people in need in class, then community service will give them the practical experience.
Community service opens the door for career opportunities for the students. Through community service, students have a chance of choosing a career path that involves helping the people such as nursing. They will develop the need to go into a career that leads to the betterment of the community. Furthermore, community service is good for the resume and a student that has engaged in community service has a high chance of being employed. Employers seek people that will help the company through service to others more so the customers (Newquist). They are likely to employ a candidate that has experience in community service because they know the importance of service to others.
Some opponents argue that community service will put a strain on the student’s studies, interfere with learning the basics and it is the responsibility of the parents to guide their children both ethically and morally. However, such claims are not true as community service improves the student’s studies by making them busy so that they may not engage in negative adolescent activities (Sparks). In addition, community service teaches students to be responsible and should not wait to be told by their parents how to have good morals and ethics.
Overall, the students should be allowed to engage in community service to earn a diploma because of the benefits they acquire from it. Some of the benefits of engaging in community service include but are not limited to civic responsibility, valuable job skills, good citizenship, opens doors to career opportunities and possibilities, builds character, and helps bring service to communities that would not have it.
- Current Events. “Involuntary Volunteers? – US Supreme Court Says Students Can Be Required To Perform Community Services.” 1996:
- Newquist, Colleen. “Community Service: Opportunity or Exploitation? | Education World.” Educationworld.com. N.p., 1997. Web. 5 Feb. 2018.
- Sparks, Sarah. “Community Service Requirements Seen To Reduce Volunteering.” Education Week. N.p., 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2018.