Student sample for assessment
Written by a Year 7 student in Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia.
Community service should be compulsory, but only if we do it properly. Right now, some students volunteer and some don't, and that creates two problems. First, students who volunteer learn things that others miss out on — they develop empathy and see what our community actually needs. Second, it's unfair that only some students get those chances. If community service is required, everyone benefits equally. The main argument against making it compulsory is that forced service loses meaning. People say if you're ordered to help, you're not really choosing, so it doesn't count as genuine. But this ignores something important: once you're actually helping someone — whether you chose to or were asked to — the work matters. A Year 7 student helping at an aged care facility isn't less helpful because the school required it. The resident still gets support. And most students discover they care more than they expected. The second worry is that compulsory service takes time from study. This is fair, but it assumes service is less valuable than extra homework or study blocks. It's not. Learning to contribute to your community, to show up, to work with people different from you — these are skills no test measures. They're also harder to develop alone. Some people will always prefer choice. But community service isn't like choosing a sport or club. It's a responsibility we all share. Making it compulsory says: everyone in this school helps others. That's worth the sacrifice of some study time. It builds a stronger community, not just stronger students.