Plans for 50 Hours of Compulsory Voluntary Work for All Under 19

[Plank]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7995652.stm

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged to ensure every young person has done 50 hours of voluntary work by the time they are 19-years-old.
Mr Brown said a promise to bring in compulsory community service would be a part of his next election manifesto.
Under the scheme, the work may include helping charities and is likely to become part of the National Curriculum.
The scheme would be woven into plans to make everyone stay in education or training until the age of 18 by 2011.
Mr Brown told the News of the World newspaper: "It is my ambition to create a Britain in which there is a clear expectation that all young people will undertake some service to their community, and where community service will become a normal part of growing up in Britain.
'Clear accreditation'
"And, by doing so, the contributions of each of us will build a better society for all of us."
The prime minister added: "That would mean young people being expected to contribute at least 50 hours of community service by the time they have reached the age of 19.
"This will build on the platform provided by citizenship classes as they develop in our schools. But because the greater part of what I envisage as community service takes place outside the school day, it will require the close involvement of local community organisations and charities."
Mr Brown said the work would also be linked to a "clear system of accreditation" so that young people would be able mark their achievements gained through volunteering.
Gordon Brown first proposed the idea of a National Youth Service to channel teenagers into voluntary work last year.
It is due to be formally launched in September, and would become compulsory if Labour was re-elected.

I take it everyone under 19 opposes this idea, and everyone above 19 thinks it is brilliant? I think it is stupid. We already have 2 weeks work experience, and 50 hours voluntary work on top of exams, coursework, and part time jobs is just too much.

[Mikey]

It's dumb but what can you do :S

[IceNineKills]

I think it's a great idea.

[FlyingJesus]

2 weeks work experience is nothing and most people see it as a holiday from school anyway, and 50 hours which would be integrated in curriculum time anyway is really not a problem - it's less than 2 weeks of full time work and would probably be spaced out quite a bit anyway. Are you really suggesting that 50 hours out of 19 years is too much to be expected of you to help your own country become a better place?

[Hushie]

Well that's just not voluntary is it?

If they want to force us to do it out of school hours then that's not very fair.

[Plank]

2 weeks work experience is nothing and most people see it as a holiday from school anyway, and 50 hours which would be integrated in curriculum time anyway is really not a problem - it's less than 2 weeks of full time work and would probably be spaced out quite a bit anyway. Are you really suggesting that 50 hours out of 19 years is too much to be expected of you to help your own country become a better place?

I assumed it was outside school hours, but if it is in school hours then that makes it a bit better. Where would they fit it in though? An extended work experience, where the second half you work in a charity shop or something? I can't imagine anyone below year 8 doing it, and in year 11/12/13 theres already too much to do with exams and stuff. It would be too difficult to space it out. Who would actually organise it and force everyone to turn up? Voluntary work should remain voluntary, we should have a choice whether we do it or not.

[Blinger1]

I assumed it was outside school hours, but if it is in school hours then that makes it a bit better. Where would they fit it in though? An extended work experience, where the second half you work in a charity shop or something? I can't imagine anyone below year 8 doing it, and in year 11/12/13 theres already too much to do with exams and stuff. It would be too difficult to space it out. Who would actually organise it and force everyone to turn up? Voluntary work should remain voluntary, we should have a choice whether we do it or not.

They take away your play-lunch and instead you get to do some community service.

I think the idea is brilliant. GO GORDAN BROWN OR WHOEVER THE PM IS!

[Plank]

They take away your play-lunch and instead you get to do some community service.

I think the idea is brilliant. GO GORDAN BROWN OR WHOEVER THE PM IS!

Yeah, community service, the stuff criminals have to do after committing a crime as punishment.. I can't imagine it working out at all. Voluntary work works well because the people that do it want to be there. Forcing millions of children to do it who don't want to be there will just result in crappy jobs.

[jameslarden]

It is a good idea, but i think there should be a reward at the end - not long ago, i saw this thing on tv where kids helped out in their local community to earn tickets to a concert, and dizzy rascal was there. Something like that would be good. The concert was held especially for those who helped out.

[FlyingJesus]

Well the report says it was planned to be a part of the curriculum so I'd assume it's during school time, but just because it says "before 19" I don't think that's any reason to assume they're going to cut it into GCSE time. I'd imagine they'd try to spread it out throughout the school years so you do a few hours here and there at some mediocre level while you're young and progessively start doing something a bit more worthwhile. Like I say, 50 hours out of 19 years is nothing