Mandated Community Service In High Schools

Society seems to have created a divide between age groups and has even put the term, “ageism,” into the dictionary. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (n.d.), ageism is the “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group...” Nowadays, teenagers seem to be scrutinized by nearly all of those who were born before them and even described as “irresponsible,” “lazy,” and “disrespectful” and this image of the youth has remained to this day (Clark, 2002). Also in her article from 2002, Clark states that labeling can lead to low self-esteem and it can also create barriers between teenagers and the adults they are supposed to look up to. Although the negative stereotypes of teenagers are true in some instances, mandated volunteering

Those who oppose a requirement of volunteering in high schools commonly seem to believe that the time required to volunteer is too demanding and that mandating the service takes away from the true nature of volunteerism. A major argument against mandated community service in high schools is the fact that it requires a number of hours; although, the average American watches over 28 hours of television a week, meaning they have time to spare throughout their high school career which could be used productively on a community service project (Herr, 2007), which is why it is more than feasible for students to complete mandated community service hours in high schools. The biggest argument against mandated volunteering is the fact that it is mandated, not chosen by the student to do on their own free will; although, mandating this service is one of the only ways to get students to become a part of the public and actively support the community which they were raised in (Anderson, 1999). Also, those who take part in helping out their community develop a greater commitment to their community, whether they chose to volunteer or not (Beehr, LeGro, Porter, Bowling, & Swader, 2010), meaning that students who were out doing some sort of community service developed a sense of caring for their work regardless of it being mandated or not which is why schools should mandate community service. Community service is beneficial almost any way that a spectator looks at it even though it demands a great deal of time and is required, students are benefitting themselves and their community