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ORIGINAL: Sunnymom

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ORIGINAL: garsyt

I see this as a way of trying to get teenagers to think beyond themselves! Something many teens simply can't or refuse to do.

I mean think about it - what would a 14 year old boy rather do: Spend the afternoon playing video games or spend the afternoon with a bunch of 9 year old cub scouts setting up for a campout?

Community service - even required community service isn't a bad thing or a "sentence" or even slave labor. It's teaching them to do something for someone else without expecting reward.

There is such rampant selfishness and self-centeredness amongst many young people today that requiring kids to look beyond themselves for a change, might actually do this country some good.

Blessings,

Garsy

I agree in principle that community service is a way to get kids (and adults) to think beyond themselves and benefit their communities and impact the world.

But making this mandatory, as a function of school, as well as attaching federal funds to it usurps the parents. Character training should be primarily the function of parents, and the school's primary function should be academics.

Let's remember that this thread is not about protesting community service and volunteerism- it is about the concerns that a federal program that rewards schools with money for mandatory community service from students is a far cry from families deciding to unselfishly be involved in serving their community or country.

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ORIGINAL: bzirk

I guess I don't receive the gesture too well from public schools because of all the pseudo-altruistic and holier than thou attitudes that seem to emanate so readily from state sponsored programs.

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ORIGINAL: sen10tious

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ORIGINAL: bzirk

I guess I don't receive the gesture too well from public schools because of all the pseudo-altruistic and holier than thou attitudes that seem to emanate so readily from state sponsored programs.

Bzirk, do you mean like this?
The Pharisee school official stood and was praying saying this to himself: `God, I thank You I'm glad that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers parental rights-ers, or even like this tax collector slacker. `I fast do community service twice a week twenty hours a year; I pay tithes chip in for secret Santa of all that I get.'
Luke 18:11,12

Because the story ends like this: everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.
As much as they are humbly doing this to train the students, there will be great successes. As much as they are in this to look good and for the money, these programs will become riddled with fraud and contention over not being 'fairly' served.