In considering whether teenagers should be required to do unpaid community work in their free time, there are valid arguments both for and against such a requirement.
On one hand, such volunteer works can effect to the personal development of teenager. Community employs, provide valuable experiences that contribute to the growth of teenagers. It help to enlarge empathy, responsibility and a sense of civic duty. Furthermore, volunteering often involves learning new skills, like team work, communication, and dealing with problems. While, engaging with social services, adolescents start realizing about social issues and challenges, broadening their perspectives and making them more aware of societal issues.
However, just like coin has two sides, working in unpaid community works may have negative influences for teenagers such as infringing on teenagers’ autonomy and right to choose how they spend their free time. Adolescents often have strict schedule with school, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments. Adding mandatory community service could lead to stress and burnout. For example in Uzbekistan, majority of teenagers tend to work from middle schools and drop out education, which can lead to struggling to make end meet in future as in this country most of the high salaries are paid for good mental condition rather than physical and experience.
While there are clear benefits to teenagers and communities from unpaid community work, the decision to mandate such activities should carefully consider the balance between personal development and individual freedoms. Ideally, initiatives should encourage and facilitate voluntary participation in community service, providing meaningful opportunities for those interested, while respecting the autonomy of teenagers to choose their own forms of personal development and contribution to society.