The Unforsakable Irony of Mandatory Volunteering

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Must one argue that America was built on the values of freedom? If this is true, which history has already proven it is, then why are we stripping the rights of our youth by requiring them to participate in mandatory volunteering? Before one can even begin to answer this they must also ask what is volunteering? In short it is offering to do something “freely”. Schools should not force our students to participate in volunteering, because they are inevitably causing the youth to be rebellious and devaluing the appreciation for true volunteering.

While volunteering may be a seemingly good thing, mandatory volunteering causes young adolescents to rebel against community service and volunteer work. According to the Cognitive Evaluation Theory study, people tend to resist and lose interest in what is being asked of them when they feel they are being controlled by an outside source because of the human nature of individualism(Pearce 1).This is already seen in other school situations, such as with homework. Many children will often refuse to do rudimentary or simple homework assignments all because the teacher made them do it. As Sara Helms, assistant professor at Stanford University, once asked, “If this is for school, how do we know [students] are considering this as community service, rather than just homework for school?”(Sparks 1). Students may very well perceive this as another homework assignment and either refuse to do it or complete it with detestation and hatred in their hearts, rather than joy for helping the less grateful. In the end, many students will feel controlled and the volunteering will lose its effect.

By the same token, volunteering will become less fulfilling, by losing its emotional value. There are two main rea...

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...ions, students should not be forced to comply with unfair mandatory volunteering policies.

Works Cited

Circle. “Volunteering/Community Service” Civic Youth.org. 1 Sep. 2012. 16 March

2014

Lokshin, Elaine. “Youth Opinion: ‘Requiring Volunteer Work Defeats The Purpose’”Los

Angeles Times.web. 17 February 1995.16 March 2014
1995-02-04/local/me-27853_1_community-volunteer-work>

Pearce, Cindy. “Pros & Cons of Mandatory Community Service Projects Before Graduation

From High School” Ehow.com. 16 March 2014
_pros-before-graduation-high-school.html>

Sparks, Sara. “Community Service Requirements Seen To Reduce Volunteering” 20 Aug.

2013.16 March 2014

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