Some people assert that doing voluntary work should be made mandatory for all teenagers during their free time, believing that it is beneficial for both the volunteer and the community. Personally, I disagree with the statement.
On one hand, teenagers helping out in local charity centres does yield numerous advantageous outcomes for both parties. Instead of wasting time loitering in malls or playing video games at home, they are given the opportunity to improve the welfare of those in need by providing assisstance in soup kitchens, collecting second-hand items for donation or raising funds for charities. Consequently, empathy and kindness can be fostered among the teenage community. Besides that, when teenagers cannot afford the luxury of spare time, they will not indulge themselves harmful activities to pass time, hence, decreasing the occurance of social ills in the society.
Despite the aforementioned arguments, I believe that it is not necessary to force teenagers to do unpaid work when they are free. Teenagers main responsibility is to study as they are still essentially students, therefore, studying should be prioritised instead of working in local communities. Besides that, we cannot disregard the fact that with the increasingly burdensome curriculum nowadays, coupled with long school hours, is considered burdensome to many students. If they are still forced to work outside schooling hours, it will take a toll on the student’s health. Hence, I encourage teenagers to use the extra time they have to recover physically and mentally.
In conclusion, although I concede that vonteering benefits everyone, I maintain the stance that teenagers have the freedom to decide what they want to do with their free time. However, they should be encouraged to volunteer if they have the chance. As the saying by Howard Zinn goes: “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”