There is a huge debate in the West regarding the importance of social work and whether volunteering should be made mandatory for high school and college students to graduate.

Even though I think that a lot of change can be brought about through collective efforts and that one gains a lot of experience by engaging in such activities, I don’t agree with the aforementioned argument.

I’ve been voluntarily working with an NGO for two years now. My reason for joining was pretty simple — I wanted to be a part of something that went beyond the sphere I was in. Plus, social work is a great opportunity to actually work on improving the “environment” and the “society” that we so often criticise.

However, just because something might bring change doesn’t mean that it should be imposed on the entire society. Here are a few reasons why I think that social work should not be obligatory:

🔸 People have their own individual lives and priorities. One cannot expect someone to give up their time and work to do something they might not personally benefit from.

🔸 If students are forced to volunteer, then they might see it as a mere obligation in order to graduate rather than a learning experience.

🔸 Students volunteering just for the sake of doing so might not yield the expected quality results, and therefore, it would not be a good idea in the long run.

What is your opinion on this debate? Should students be forced to volunteer just because it contributes to the improvement of society, or should it be a voluntary action and feeling that comes from within? Let me know!