At first, joining boy scouts seemed as though it was a waste of time. Camping, and doing community service wasn't something I was interested in taking the time to do. Little did I know, that through boy scouts I met some of my closest friends, and created some of my most cherished memories. For this reason, I believe students should be required to take a extracurricular curricular activities, because they come with many obvious benefits that have effect on the students and school community as a whole.

Requiring students to take extracurricular activities can get them to try something new they've never done before. This comes with many benefits, first, students will get to learn a new skills they've never touched on before. For example, if a student was in boy scouts and they learned about wood whittling, they may become very interested in that certain skill and take classes in school related to the skill, such as 3D art. As a result, that particular student may want to pursue 3D art as their future career. Second, the students will learn to become open to trying out new things. When someone discovers something new that they really like, they will try to expand that scope of interest, and try to learn new things surrounding that original interest. Thus, creating a healthy way for the students to challenge themselves through their interests.

Extracurricular activities are a great way to get people, to get together. Seeing other students at school is a good way to meet new people as well, but not everyone has the same interests, and that's where extracurricular activities "one-up" regular school time. When your in a group of people of similar interests it becomes easier to connect to people in the group, and extracurricular activities provide just that. Thus, creating stronger bonds between the students which benefits the students in many other areas of life. First, you'll have more people you can rely on and trust. Having someone you can trust is important, for example, if you were feeling down about something, you'd have someone who has your back and that you can talk to. Second, you'll feel much better about yourself. Being part of a strong friendship makes you feel included, more confident, and less insecure in yourself.

Lastly, being apart of an extracurricular activity can help benefit the community. Groups just like boy scouts always have events focused on improving the community planned. Through these events, students learn how to raise awareness and start community projects through first-hand experience. Boy scouts, however, is not the only extracurricular group that benefits communities. Groups such as the student council help shape the school policy to work with both students and teachers. They also raise awareness through events such as empty bowl night, which is an event where you buy a student made bowl to raise money for people in poverty.

In conclusion, students should be required to participate in extracurricular activities. Making it a requirement can get students to learn new things, meet new people, and help the community. By supporting these smaller local extracurricular groups, or making it a requirement to be apart of one such as boy scouts. The youth of our community can reach their potential, and learn the necessary life skills needed to pursue a healthy future.