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Youth and
Volunteerism
If you are a young person,
there are many good reasons to get involved in
volunteer and service learning opportunities.
Here are a few for you to
consider:
1.
Volunteering can help you to explore your
interests.
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 If you like animals,
help out at an animal shelter or at your
nearest zoo.
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If you like working
with kids, get involved at a summer camp or
at a preschool program, or help younger
students with their schoolwork.
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If you enjoy playing
sports, play games with the kids at a
neighborhood center.
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If you like to cook,
get together with friends and make dinner
for the families at a soup kitchen or help
out at a homeless shelter.
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If you enjoy sewing,
you can make curtains or bedspreads for the
families at a women’s shelter or make lap
robes and pillows for nursing home
residents. If you know how to knit or
crochet, you may enjoy making scarves and
hats for people who are homeless.
-
If you enjoy being
outdoors, help your park district clean up a
park or volunteer to help a neighbor plant
flowers or mow the grass for your elderly
neighbors.
-
If you enjoy the
performing arts, explore volunteer
opportunities with a community theater
group.
2.
Volunteering can help you learn about possible
careers.
-
If you think you’d like
to work in the medical field, volunteer at a
retirement or nursing home or with Hospice.
-
If you’re interested in
teaching, spend time with younger children,
helping them with their homework.
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If you’re interested in
science, consider volunteering at your local
science museum or greenhouse.
-
If you’d like a job in
an office someday, offer to help with filing
and data entry at a nonprofit organization.
3. You
can meet people you might not ordinarily meet.
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By volunteering in a
group, you’ll meet other people with the
same interests you have.
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If your grandparents
have passed away or live far away and you
don’t get to see them often, you can become
friends with a senior adult and adopt them
as your “grandma” or “grandpa.”
-
By volunteering with an
agency that helps refugees, you can meet
people who have come here from other
countries. You’ll learn about their culture
and help them adapt to life here.
-
By volunteering with an
agency that works with people with physical
or mental challenges, you’ll find out that
they’re not so different from you after all.
4. Volunteer activities add
value to college applications and work resumes.
-
College admission
staffs want to know who you are as a person.
They’re looking for well-rounded individuals
who will give their best both within and
outside the classroom.
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Potential employers
want to know if you show up on time, can
take direction, are responsible, and work
well with others. A good reference from an
agency you’ve volunteered with can help them
decide that you’d be a good employee.
5. It’s
fun.
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People who volunteer
often say that they get more out of the
experience than they give.
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Giving of your time and
energy makes you feel good about yourself
and raises your self-esteem. * Working with
other volunteers builds friendships.
6. You’re
sharing your talents and knowledge with others.
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You have skills,
talents, knowledge, experience, personality
and passion. Each of us is unique and has
something to share with others.
7. You’re
advancing the common good.
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Sometimes we look at
the way the world is and think, “This isn’t
the way things are supposed to be.” By
volunteering, you can help make a positive
change in the world.
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Each of us wants to
live in a community where families are
healthy and strong, where children are given
the help they need to succeed in school,
where people with disabilities and the
elderly are able to live as independently as
possible, and where people live in safe,
supportive neighborhoods.
By volunteering, you help
make your community a better place to live, and
you become part of the solution. Click here to
access the youth volunteer directory to find an
opportunity that fits your interest, and then go
out and make a difference in your community. |
