Mandatory Volunteerism: Not an Oxymoron

They say we are young people who are learning to think like adults. We haul ourselves out of bed at six in the morning every weekend and clumsily throw on our suits and polish our dress shoes. We are expected to use our “gifted tongues” to discuss how to create stability and foster citizenship in the seemingly messy world we live in today.

As high school debaters, we come equipped to each tournament ready to comment on our “constituents” in developing nations and our plan to fix the “socioeconomic instability” that we witness daily. We absorb the praise that is thrown at us by our teachers, coaches, and tournament directors for doing so.

Yet, it has become clear that our service only exists when it means we can take home another trophy to display. Often, we, the ones with the “gifted tongues,” ignore the homeless man we see every day begging for food, or the underprivileged students being forced to learn in run-down schools. We have become accustomed to viewing ourselves on a moral high ground, while not fully understanding what it means to take action.

In some areas of the United States, volunteering is now becoming a graduation requirement. According to Reason Magazine, mandatory volunteerism trains students to notice community problems, analyze them, and then take part in resolving them. This teaches students that it isn’t only their responsibility to comment on the issues that surround them, but also to play an active role in improving the lives of those who face these issues.

If educators hope to raise a generation of selfless, responsible, and active citizens who are genuinely committed to servicing their communities, they will need to emphasize the importance of interactions between volunteers and those they help.

Many critics of compulsory volunteerism cite studies that examine the insincere intentions of participants. These critics maintain that only those who want to volunteer should be doing so. Yet, even without these requirements, many students volunteer for the mere purpose of checking off a box on their college applications; in other words, this is a problem that already exists, not a problem that will be born as a result of mandatory volunteerism.

Under a mandate, the practices of college-driven students, as well as the practices of students who volunteer because they simply want to give back, will remain relatively unaffected. On the other hand, students who would not have otherwise become involved in community service will be exposed to the social and educational benefits of volunteering.

Moreover, mandatory volunteering can be a means by which participants can positively change their own attitudes. According to a National Longitudinal Study of Youth, volunteering has shown to be effective in discouraging students from participating in illicit activities, because it occupies their time productively.

By making volunteerism a graduation requirement, educators are taking the first step towards fostering citizenship among students. Maybe one day, we can possess more than “gifted tongues,” and can turn abstract ideas into concrete actions.