
The progressive Conservatives' plan to introduce mandatory volunteering in New Brunswick high schools is producing much criticism from two Fredericton volunteer organizations. Last week, the Tory leader David
Alward released the campaign promises, and among them the party's least costly suggestions is getting the most attention.
Alward wants to bring in a new requirement that students would have to accrue a specific number of hours volunteering in their community before they can graduate. The current governing Liberal party have criticized the plan's mandatory aspect. Groups that rely on volunteers are not eager to accept high school students who would be required to be there. Judy
Coates, the co-chair of a steering committee set up for a new volunteer centre in Fredericton, said new volunteers are always needed, but she has concerns about what
Alward's new program could entail. "I would be opposed to it just being that students all have to do 100 hours of volunteer work and have a community person write them a letter and they get checked-off"
Coates said. She also said she would welcome new volunteers, but it should only be part of a wider range program of community involvement for students. John
Carty, the executive director of Meals on Wheels, said volunteers are depended on for delivering the meals and helping with security checks. However,
Carty said he's not convinced mandating students to help in their community is appropriate. "I would not want volunteers there because they have to be there" said
Carty. The conservatives say no student will be forced to volunteer for a specific group. Instead, they'll be given a list of approved organizations and they will get to choose whichever one they like, but the required log hours will still be needed.
Personally, I support David
Alward's new policy. I am a high school student in Ontario, and I have to by law, record 40 hours of community service to graduate. I feel as though by contributing either in a park clean up, or helping out a community event, teaches me how just by helping people in need gives you a source of satisfaction. However, I do agree with some of the criticisms that the new policy is getting. Some of the people are saying that there is no point of introducing the rule because it won't actually teach the students to give back. This is true for some of the high school students as some will just go and volunteer at any random event just to get the required hours, and not actually "want to be there". Fortunately not all of the students who volunteer, will regret doing so. Some of the kids will learn from the experience and will be motivated to help out the community in as many ways as they can. In conclusion, even though the law will not be beneficial for all students, some of the students will take something away from their experience. Whether it be, realizing that how helping out gives them a source of satisfaction or learning how many people are living
underprivledged and in poor conditions. This is why I believe the policy should be mandatory in New Brunswick.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/05/24/nb-mandatory-volunteer-alward-852.html