It has been argued that all young people should be required to perform unpaid work taking care of people in the community. While implementing this policy would promote social cohesion, I believe that its potential drawbacks, particularly the risk of burnout and resentment, are more significant.
Without a doubt, the introduction of compulsory unpaid community service can play a crucial role in bringing people together and bridging social divisions. When all young people, regardless of their background or social status, work together in community service activities helping senior citizens, disabled individuals, and other vulnerable members of society, they have spontaneous conversations, exchange ideas, share experiences, and pool their efforts, thereby making friends and building meaningful relationships. As a result, individuals can expand their social circles and communities can become more closely-knit, leading to a stronger sense of camaraderie and community spirit. In a world where social issues such as political polarization, religious intolerance, and ethnic discrimination have already intensified, requiring all younger individuals to do community work for free can significantly restore interpersonal relationships and community structures, thereby cultivating social unity and harmonious coexistence.
However, in my view, the potential downsides of such a requirement should be taken more seriously. If young people are forced to undertake unpaid community work helping people in the community alongside their academic responsibilities, household chores, and part-time jobs, they are likely to overload their schedules and overstretch their abilities, thereby experiencing constant fatigue, chronic stress, and the debilitating sense of being overwhelmed. Consequently, they might feel exploited, marginalized, and unfairly treated, which can undermine their performance in not only community service initiatives but also other aspects of life. This burden might disproportionately affect young people from low-income and middle-class families because they already struggle to balance their academic assignments, exam preparations, and family obligations with working and earning supplementary income.
In conclusion, although the implementation of mandatory unpaid community work can help strengthen personal relationships and social bonds, I believe that its potential risks associated with exhaustion and unfair treatment deserve more consideration.