Some countries have implemented mandatory community service programmes for young people. In these programmes, children aged 16 to 18 do charity work, help old people and work with animals. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages and give your opinion.

Different governments around the world have started proposing the idea of community services for adolescents between 16 and 18 years old. That could involve

activities

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such

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as charity work, assisting the elderly and working at animal rescue centres.

This

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initiative has one main advantage which is the possibility of educating the children

while

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interacting with people from different backgrounds and ages or even animals. One possible disadvantage could be that some adolescents will think of it as losing precious

time

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if they are willing to invest it studying or even working at part-

time

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jobs. On the one hand, young people who cooperate with charities are more likely to develop higher empathy and communication skills compared with those who don’t.

For example

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, spending some

time

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at nursing homes, at non-profit events and at shelters are some excellent

activities

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as they can feel useful by doing

activities

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such

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as helping feed some elders, cooking or even cleaning and tidying common spaces.

In addition

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, it has to be taken into consideration that some of the teenagers would rather have contact with animals, refugees for rescued pets are

also

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a good choice. These

activities

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can generate social bonding, boost their self-confidence and even create reflections about the society where they live

in

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.

On the other hand

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, the main disadvantage could be the lack of personal development

due to

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time

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constraints. Nowadays, many teenagers must work in order to pay for their university studies as their families can not afford the economic burden,

while

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those who aim to enrol at prestigious universities need to get the highest grades,

hence

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, they have to invest their

time

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studying. There is a chance that a small part of them might not even be interested in participating in these events, with the risk of becoming a hassle rather than helpful.

To conclude

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, even though I really think in

this

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case the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, forcing these

activities

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on all of the students could cause some rejection. The best way to push it forward would be by reaching an agreement between all the parties involved by setting up the minimum hours required and the places where these services could be performed with some flexible rules

,

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so that the whole community can effectively benefit.