In some schools volunteering to provide help to elderly or disabled people is compulsory. I opine that by doing this work children can acquire useful knowledge and expand their circle of friends. However, they should have the right to refuse to volunteer.
First, youngsters gain experience and develop their skills when assisting the needy. This knowledge can be helpful for their future lives. This means that providing medicine and food properly looking after the disabled and facilitating them are crucial skills that can be applied in the future. Moreover, teenagers can develop their communication, cooperation and team-working skills. It never hurts to have more friends with whom you share the same interests. For example, a friend of mine goes to a school where the students were asked to help elderly people in a local retirement home. While he was fulfilling his duties he cooperated with a group of friends. Later these people became his best friends.
Second, helping others is really beneficial but students should do it without coercion. This is because work can be done successfully only if a person wants to do it. Students forced to volunteer may resent and thus accomplish their duties improperly. Furthermore, some of them may have reasonable grounds not to participate in volunteering. They may be busy revising for exams or doing a part-time job. To illustrate, a classmate of my friend mentioned above took part in the project organized by the school despite being overwhelmed with extracurricular classes. As a result, he failed to complete his duties and did not manage to combine all his responsibilities.
In conclusion, I argue that volunteering is beneficial both for its performers and for those who receive help. However, it should not be a part of the school curriculum because students must be able to decide whether they want to assist or not.