Community service: Encouraging engagement rather than forcing it

Vier junge Menschen mit dem Rücken zur Kamera lehnen an einer brusthohen weißen Mauer und schauen in die Ferne auf den Sonnenuntergang. Im Hintergrund eine Skyline mit einigen Wolkenkratzern.

Devin Avery / Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/de/lizenz)

The Federal Government is laying the groundwork for a possible new civilian service through a Federal Social Services Act. The Federal Ministry for Youth has already approached associations and organisations to enquire about potential capacity for such placements. For the Federal Youth Council, one thing is clear: should compulsory military service be reintroduced, a civilian alternative will also be needed. However, this does not mean that a new compulsory civilian service is the right way forward.

“If compulsory military service is reintroduced, a civilian alternative will also be needed. In principle, however, the Bundesjugendring rejects compulsory service, whether military or civilian. Commitment cannot be enforced. Recognition, good conditions and appreciation for voluntary work create far greater solidarity than state coercion,” emphasises Daniela Broda, Chair of the Bundesjugendring.

In the Bundesjugendring’s view, the idea that young people should strengthen social cohesion through compulsory service falls short in particular. Young people enter adult life with very different financial, social and family circumstances. Anyone wishing to overcome social inequality and social division must tackle their structural causes, rather than imposing an additional obligation on young people.

The Bundesjugendring therefore advocates a voluntary approach: voluntary services and youth engagement must be structured in such a way that all young people who wish to get involved are able to do so – voluntarily and on their own terms. This includes, in particular, a legal right to undertake voluntary service and financial security that enables young people to get involved regardless of their financial circumstances.

Themen: Volunteering