Should a volunteering class be mandatory?

Service is a great way to learn new and important life lessons that are beneficial to developing students and teenagers everywhere. Not only is volunteering beneficial to an individual, but the community. A mandatory service class in the high school will benefit the students and the community positively.

Individually volunteer work is important for your health. The Corporation for National and Community Service says, “Volunteering improves psychological and physical health. Volunteers reap the benefits of feeling a personal sense of accomplishment while building social networks that, in turn, support them in times of stress.”

Senior Nicole Doemling states, “Volunteer work always pays off, after seeing the good that comes out of my hard work I feel accomplished.”

Service leads to important life lessons including working hard for the benefit of others.

Volunteer work not only teaches students the importance of giving back, but also positively affects the community around them. According to Jeanne Segal with a Ph.D in sociology, “One of the more well-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place.”

Senior Maddy Wolkov states, “Volunteering is a big part of the community, helping out the city and rewarding not only others around you but yourself.”

Many people may argue that a volunteering class is not as important as the core classes that are taught in school today such as math, science, and english. But, volunteering teaches students something that core classes don’t, a feeling of gratitude and doing good for others, not just a reward for good grades, but a reward for kindness and assistance.

Senior, Maddie Schmidt, “Volunteering teaches me the hardships that others go through and makes me thankful for what I have.”

Overall, volunteering takes on an important role in developing students with high morals and character, and making a service class mandatory would not only help the community, but students themselves.