Some people believe that some unpaid community service should be a compulsory part of high school programmes (e.g. working in a charity, improving the relationship of neighbourhood or teaching sports to children) To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The youth of today are generally considered to lack social knowledge and experience which are of crucial importance in their future development. To solve this problem, some people suggest that they should undertake a period of voluntary work in the local community during their high school. Personally, I think its pros far outweigh the cons.

Undoubtedly, it can be a win-win approach - that is, it will benefit both the young and the community enormously if young high school students do a certain period of unpaid work. By helping the elderly, the sick and the disabled directly or participating in charitable activities like raising funds or offering free consultation, young people will certainly gain and accumulate some valuable first-hand experience and know more about the society.

Moreover, young people with such experiences are more likely to become the most motivated ones in academic study or at work, and eventually become responsible citizens of the society. As far as the community is concerned, it will definitely become better with so many zealous young volunteers who are ready to help.

However, there may be some disadvantages if the young provide free service helping people in need. For example, it may conflict with their normal study or work if not arranged well. Then the result may be not as desirable as what is expected. But I think this sort of problem can be easily taken care of by meticulous planning by the school authorities.

To conclude, competitiveness of modern life and influence of global culture have isolated children from neighbourhood. So, such a step would be very beneficial to make today’s children feel part of the community.