The impact of school community service in Hungary – based on the results of an exploratory, small sample research

Liza Almási

DOI: https://doi.org/10.53585/OnkSzem.2025.1.105-130

Abstract

The mandatory school community service was introduced in 2012 in Hungary. Its goal was to motivate young people to volunteer, in addition to developing their social responsibility through community activism and service learning. This study investigates the impact of the school community service on a non-representative sample of young people who graduated from high school between 2016-2023, with a particular focus on their willingness to volunteer as a secondary effect. In addition to the regulation, characteristics and objectives of mandatory community service, the case study also presents previous research on the subject, based mainly on a large sample survey of secondary school students. The article uses a mixed research methodology, based on a questionnaire survey of a non-representative sample (100 people, mostly from Budapest), complemented by five semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers and representatives of NGOs. The research conducted in 2024 shows the impact of the school community service on students and the adults around them, such as teachers and representatives of host organisations. Based on the results of the small sample survey, it can be said that the school community service achieves its impact of sensitising the majority of the students interviewed to volunteering, by providing them with activities that are beneficial to both the public and the individual. On this basis, the author makes suggestions for further developing the school community service.

Keywords: School Community Service, impact analysis, social responsibility, volunteering, motivation