Brown Wants Community Service by British Youth

Prime Minister Gordon Brown aims to make community service a compulsory part of youth education in Britain. Under his plan, teenagers would be required to fulfill a minimum amount of community service by age 19, while political opponents have hinted at their own agendas involving service by youth on a voluntary basis. Brown’s proposal will be officially launched in September, but it will only go into effect if his political party is reelected.

Under Brown’s plan, every teenager would be required to do a minimum of 50 hours of community work before the age of 19, Gordon Brown has announced. The Prime Minister feels teens will turn to crime less often and gain a sense of citizenship by doing volunteer work for charities, the elderly, or people with disabilities. If the plan becomes official, volunteer service could become part of the National Curriculum and would ideally involve teenagers helping in charities not only in Britain, but worldwide.

Even if the Labour Party is not victorious, teens may still be asked to serve the community, as Brown’s main political opponent, Tory leader David Cameron, has proposed a program that would involve community service by 16-year-olds. Under this plan, teens would do charity work and physical training. Cameron’s program, however, would be voluntary.

Each plan has support among various groups. The region has been alarmed at increasing rates of knife crimes and other violence among teenagers in recent years. Officials and police chiefs have urged leaders to introduce compulsory community service and other solutions.