For context:

I'm Canadian (south Ontario). For all of the pitfalls I see in our society, one of the big things we emphasize to our children (which to some extent carries into adulthood) is the importance of volunteer work. It's also very directly rewarded in regards to academic advancement, as opposed to grades. Even now, about a decade out of high school and in a different place, I still look to volunteer and do advocacy. Note that I'm also extrapolating somewhat anecdotally here; I'm sure there are people who don't have this mentality in Canada.

I was talking with an acquaintance. He's from India (New Delhi area IIRC). He mentioned how this stuff is very much de-emphasized in his culture. They did have volunteer requirements but you could just donate to get out of it, or get 2 hours signed off as 80 hours. The main priority in regards to (public) university was entrance exams. It's interesting to see an academic outlook so so heavily prioritized instead.

I didn't ask him at all about ramifications culturally but it did get me thinking about the ramifications of volunteering in my culture, and how I'm happy it's there. That's what got me thinking about this question.