Volunteering for Teenagers

By next week, the holidays would be over and schools, especially the secondary schools, will resume. Nevertheless, let me presume that we’ve learnt a lot in the past weeks on how to keep us, teenagers, occupied during the holiday period. But there’s one more activity for us to discuss today. It’s called volunteering.

What is volunteering?

Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity where an individual or group provides services for no financial gain "to benefit another person, group or organization"; an unpaid activity where someone gives their time to help a not-for-profit organisation or an individual who they are not related to. Volunteering is also renowned for skill development and is often intended to promote goodness or to improve human quality of life.

It is a universal truth that "giving is much better than receiving" and a selfless act with no regard for financial compensation is definitely more rewarding.  In fact, being a volunteer as a teenager and young adult during the holidays can offer you a lot of fun and travel opportunities, post-high school references, pre-employment opportunities and a chance to meet people of different cultures and lifestyles.

Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change lives, including your own. If you're feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the news of a disaster, volunteering to help can be a great way to cope. If you'd like to support a cause but can't afford to donate money, you can donate your time instead.

Volunteering builds character, admiration, responsibility plus an understanding of other people's needs and respect for peers, siblings, as well as teachers; it means building on a future foundation, fine tuning innate talents and skills, and/or grasp of the understanding of responsibilities and respect for decent work.

How do you go about it?

1.    Find What Interests Right You

Unlike school, volunteering allows you to pick what really interests you and who (or what) deserves your time the most. Let’s share ideas in a few areas:

a. Helping other children. You can become a Big Brother or Big Sister, camp counselor, or volunteer for an after-school program or with special-needs children.

b.    Helping the vulnerable. You can help in shelters for victims of disaster, motherless children’s homes, hospitals, old people’s homes, etc. The church also may be able to use your help.

c. Help the environment. You can join a conservation group and help out with erosion/flood, desertification control. You can also take part in a community clean-up day, etc.

2.    Find What Fits Your Schedule

Once you have found something that inspires you, decide how much time you want to spend. Local organizations (like hospitals or shelters) often like volunteers to give them a set amount of time every week or two. You can also spend the whole holiday volunteering through a structured internship program. The advantage is that you get to occupy yourself in the activities and feel a real sense of achievement when you see the results. Because you spend a lot of time together, most people who work on long-term volunteer projects form close friendships. Sometimes you get to travel, and the organization may pay your travel and living costs.

3.    Expand Your Mind

Volunteering is a great way to learn new skills — from working as part of a team to setting and reaching goals. It gives you a chance to discover what kinds of things you do best and enjoy the most. A volunteer job that you love can even help shape your ideas about your career goals. Volunteering also can provide you with a sense of responsibility because people will depend on you and it can help you develop a new understanding of people who are different from you — people with disabilities, people in distress, sick children, or the elderly.

4.    Feel Good

Donating your time and skill is a great way to feel like you have contributed to changing things for the better. When people depend on you, it can change the way you look at yourself. You can feel proud of the goals that you've achieved for an organization — whether it's helping to raise money for a cause or running the race itself. Volunteering is also a great way to get a perspective on your own life. Sometimes it's easy to get consumed by worries about your school grades or the fight you had with your best friend or parent. And although these things are very important in their own way, sometimes it can be helpful to get some distance and think about other things. Volunteering allows you to focus on others and see that your involvement in the world can be meaningful. In addition, volunteering can help save you from being bored — it gives you a place to be where you can have a good time and keep busy.

5.    Look Good

When you donate your time to a cause you care about, it looks impressive on college/university or job applications. That is not the main reason for volunteering, of course. If you do it just to please other people or to look good, you may not enjoy it but volunteering does show others (and yourself!) that you are reliable enough to make a commitment and show up on schedule. Volunteering also shows employers and colleges/universities that you believe in making the world a better place — and that you're willing to sacrifice your time and energy to do it.

Where Do I Sign Up?

After you have decided what you are interested in and how much time you can devote, then you begin to find out where you can volunteer. There are several choices. You can search the Internet for any organization that fits your interest area; call directly and ask if they need volunteers; ask friends or relatives for ideas and contacts to identify a job that is a good fit for you. When you are calling an organization to offer your time, it is best to ask for a volunteer coordinator. Be ready to answer some questions, like:

Ø    Why do you want to volunteer for our organization?

Ø    What do you know about our organization?

Ø    How many hours a week will you be able to volunteer?

Ø    What are your interests?

Ø    Do you have any special skills?

Ø    Do you have a way to get here?

It might help to get your answers to these questions, just to prepare. Most places will ask you to come for an interview, which is usually pretty casual. They want to talk to you face to face and if they haven't yet asked the questions above, they will do it at the interview. Whether your interview is on the phone or in person, don't forget to ask questions of your own. For example:

Ø    What will be expected of me if I volunteer here?

Ø    What kind of training will I receive?

Ø    How many other volunteers are there?

Ø    How many hours do you expect me to volunteer each week/month?

You might even want to ask if you can observe some other volunteers in action to get a feel for the work before you commit. If it is a good fit — meaning you like the organization, they like you, and you like the work — volunteering can be an incredible experience.

Tips for Parents

1.                  Health care volunteer opportunities for teens would be an ideal jump start to a career in the medical field and are the most popular programs for future health care professionals (i.e. doctors or nurses).  There are a number schools that can provide referrals to hospitals, clinics and even convalescent homes where a teen can legally volunteer. Simply, contact your teen’s school to get a referral.  If the school doesn't offer volunteer referrals, then contacting the nearest hospital or health care facility will set your teen in the right direction.

2.                  Social Service volunteering for teens is a great way to get out and see the world plus meet new and interesting people!  It will teach teenagers the understanding of hardship and the value of offering time, talent and resources to others who would not have the opportunity to get it otherwise.  Teens who volunteer for social service programs will benefit from serving as a tutor, mentor or holiday camp aid.  Teens and parents alike will also agree on the travel benefits of teens volunteering. Volunteering in social services offers additional opportunities for teens to participate in after school, weekend and holiday field trips and travelling for free or low cost.

3.                  Sports program volunteering is a terrific opportunity for teens interested in sports.  Depending on the chosen sports field, local sports organizations can facilitate an opportunity of a lifetime for volunteering teens.  Teens benefit from volunteer opportunities as a water boy, mascots, equipment assistants, assistants on tennis courts, golf and football fields, etc.  Not to mention they will love the opportunity to work with their favourite team and mingle with professional players.

4.                  Other volunteering opportunities beneficial for teens are working with local law enforcement agencies, fire departments services, libraries, NGOs, recreational, etc.  Talk to your teen about what they want to do, then help them build a strong foundation by locating the best volunteer choices in your area.

5.                  There are usually a lot of programmes in church that would beneficial to the teenagers but with their school work and all, many cannot devote their full attention. One of which is the Foundation Class. The Foundation Class is a study group that helps to guide you into the light and power of the word of God and prepare you for the walk with the Almighty God. It also helps to encourage one to serve actively in the church and community through evangelism, visitation, fund raising, community service, fasting, and prayer. At the end of the programme, participants are usually baptized by immersion. How to join? Talk to your Pastor.