Ever have to do something against one's will? Well for me and many other high school students, that something is community service. I believe that nothing good can come from mandatory community service.
Firstly, the community can not benefit from community service if the students participating are not willing. Since the students are not willing, the students will not help with the project. If students are forced to help, the job will be done very sloppily and not up to expectations. This would create more problems than it would solve. If a student does not complete mandated community service, that student would not be able to graduate. this would look horrid to any college looking to accept said student. Students that are forced to complete community service may take a disliking to the project that they are working on and stop or halt the process in any way they see fit.

Secondly, on the note of volunteering, that is what community service should be about: volunteering. If a mandate is a law and there is no other option, then at least let the students be able to chose what they are volunteering for. This will give them a better outlook on community service. A student helping the community in a way that pleases he or she will be better than a student that is forced to do something that he or she does not want to do. For example when I was in my teacher Ms. Davis’s class i had to do five hours of community service per quarter. I was given a choice of what I did for my five hours, so naturally I picked things I wanted to do such as help out at my grandpa’s work in the bakery or manage the junior high football team. I enjoyed community service when i had the choice in the matter, but when I didn’t, I had an unpleasant experience. This happened when my school put on a community service day where the students went around and helped out the community. These days were never fun and I literally accomplished nothing because I didn’t have a connection to the activities that I had “volunteered” for. I definitely didn't feel as though my social skills got better.

Lastly, when someone completes community service, it is said that that someone becomes a better person by gaining social awareness and likewise. I don’t believe this is true because I completed the mandated community service and I felt as though I was the same as I was before if not worse off. This is because I did not want to be helping the community so the project hindered by my actions. Many students that I have spoken to, including myself, feel that the mandatory community service we have done makes us resent and dislike the community more than if we did not help at all.

Mandatory community service is a benefit because it gets kids out there doing things for their community. While this is true the kids that do not want to be there will also be out there making a mess of things for everyone that wants to be there. Thus the projects that were expected to get done will not be finished and therefore the community will have no benefit from the mandated community service day.

Why should there be non-mandated community service? It would most benefit a community to have willing volunteers that will build or help out at or above expectations. Rather than those that are forced to attend. Willing volunteers will also enjoy the experience and gain many social skills along with empathy for other members of the community.That is why community service should be a choice not a law.