Some people think that all teenagers should be required to do unpaid work in their free
time to help the local community. They believe this would benefit both the individual
teenager and society as a whole.
Do you agree or disagree?
Many young people work on a volunteer basis, and this can only be beneficial for both the
individual and society as a whole.
However, I do not agree that we should therefore force all
teenagers to do unpaid work.
Most young people are already under enough pressure with their studies,
without being given the
added responsibility of working in their spare time.
School is just as demanding as a full-time
job, and teachers expect their students to do homework
and exam revision on top of attending
lessons every day. When young people do have some free time,
we should encourage them to
enjoy it with their friends or to spend it doing sports and other leisure activities.
They have many
years of work ahead of them when they finish their studies.
At the same time, I do not believe that society has anything to
gain from obliging young people
to do unpaid work. In fact, I would argue that it goes against the
values of a free and fair society
to force a group of people to do something against their will.
Doing this can only lead to
resentment amongst young people, who would feel that they were being used,
and parents, who
would not want to be told how to raise their children.
Currently, nobody is forced to volunteer,
and this is surely the best system.
In conclusion, teenagers may choose to work for free and help others,
but in my opinion we should not make this compulsory.