Teens & Service requirements

[MamaAkins]

In helping my daughter fill out her service forms for Homeschool National Honor Society, I was wondering how her service experience compares to other teens.

[lionfamily1999]

I have no idea how many hours dd gets in. We're going to start keeping track in June (and asking people to sign off) when she's officially high school.

[Jenny in Florida]

I have no idea how many hours dd gets in. We're going to start keeping track in June (and asking people to sign off) when she's officially high school.

 

Ditto.

[Kim in SouthGa]

my son is in Key Club and they are required to have at least 50 hours per year. Most get quite a bit more than that.

[FloridaLisa]

Community service is a great way for kids to pursue their interests and passions. While we have found it easier to log in considerable hours in the early high school years, my dc do continue to do lots of community service throughout high school.

 

Lisa

[MischiefManaged]

My oldest puts in 5 hours a week pretty easily. sometimes more.

[Mallory]

My boys are only 10 and 11 and they get 3-5 pretty much every week (often getting twice that). I don't think that will change as we go through the rest of school. In fact there are so many more opportunities as they get older, it might be more.

[AnitaMcC]

Not sure how much my teens do in community hours. We don't keep track ourselves.

 

Dd does a lot through her Kung Fu school. I'm not sure what she does counts as community service though. She teaches the younger kids Kung Fu classes (about 3 hrs a week), she attends functions that support kids activities/safety (today she participated in Kidsspi... http://kidsspi.com/). She did self defense demo for 5 hrs and the president of Kidsspi asked for her to help again tomorrow. Other than the classes she does about 25 hrs a year in these kids safety demos/programs.

 

Ds#1 does community service through Civil Air Patrol (about 100 hrs a year).

[Running the race]

Ds#1 does community service through Civil Air Patrol (about 100 hrs a year).

 

My 14yo ds does CAP. How do you know what to use for community service and how do you keep track of it?

[AnitaMcC]

My 14yo ds does CAP. How do you know what to use for community service and how do you keep track of it?

 

I count all of his volunteer hours as community service since all of what he does is helping the community in some way. Sometimes it is escorting Medal of Honor veterans, sometimes it is working at a kid fair, sometimes it is teaching kids about aerospace science, sometimes it is helping directing traffic at air shows, etc. I just figure that it is enough for him. I just count the hours he does and list it as service done representing CAP.

 

In CAP they give him volunteer certificates for each service so that is his record of what he does.

[In The Great White North]

In CAP they give him volunteer certificates for each service so that is his record of what he does.

 

I don't remember ds coming home with any of these?

 

 

FWIW.

 

I hate the idea of required community service hours. If it's required (for anything - school, confirmation, an award, etc) it is slave labor not volunteer service, as far as I'm concerned. They are being "paid" with their diploma, certificate, etc.

 

The requirement to count the hours leads to the idea that they should "get something" for volunteering. Kind of defeats the purpose. When they grow up, will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it.

 

I don't count the hours on any of my volunteer work, and I don't know any other adult who does either.

 

(None of which is to say that kids shouldn't volunteer. And we do volunteer, where our strengths lie. It's that it is required that irks me.)

[choirfarm]

How do you find these things and/or get your child to do them??? Right now my son does the power point at church for the services once a month and for most special events. That is it. I mean he goes with us on mission trips, but as far as ever intitiating anything himself... forget it. He would much prefer to do Stats or Physics by himself in his room than interact with people. When the youth serves at funtions, he hides. He will NOT do it.

 

Now my daughter will be completely different.( 3rd grade) She is organizing a lemonade stand to raise money for the crisis center. She has been in 3 different children's theater productions. She will go to the Annie MOses Fine ARts camp again this summer. Unlike my oldest who really does not want to go with dad to Ecuador this summer, she is begging to go, but she is too young. She can't wait to go on another mission trip like the one to Honduras.

 

My middle child is somewhere in between. He does sticks at church, though just asked me not to do it next year because he hates performing. I guess I will let him, but I HATE that. The group is doing sign language to How Beautiful today and then he plays Jesus and I'm his mom in Still Her Little child on Mother's day. I think I am going to MAKE him try debate or mock trial with a friend of ours next year when he is in 9th. I can make him do things with people and he will at least try it. My oldest just will not.

 

As far as your poll, I voted that I don't require it. I would love for them to do it, though. I'm so involved in church that they often get to help out anyway. But they all get hours. But you could only vote once not for each child.

Christine

Edited April 17, 2011 by choirfarm

[Mallory]

I forgot I could count up what my sis does, she is in high school. She probably gets between 6-12 hours a week. Helps at an after school program, at the pregnancy center, and at the skating rink (doing concessions or getting skates).

 

How do you find these things and/or get your child to do them???

 

Once we start looking we find there are too many things we want to help with. :D

 

We are very active with a food pantry/pregnancy center/skating rink/church (yes it is all rolled up together, including a not for profit skating rink).

 

I volunteer there every Tue and Thurs morning. Usually the boys switch days. (so 3-4 hours each day) Of course while there they could sit in the corner and read, but would usually rather be carring boxes or helping some other way.

 

There is also a free after school program there. (if the boys go they are playing, not helping but my 15 yo sis often goes to help 2x a week - another 6 or so hours for her). And she likes to come back and help at the skating rink in the evenings.

 

We are also in scouts, so we find some opportunites that way.

 

And finally, there is a youth camp going in right down our dirt road (so it is very convienent) and we have been helping with landscaping sorts of things there off and on.

 

There is also a horse rescue not far away that my oldest really wants to help at, but I can't seem to fit in the time.:001_huh:

[regentrude]

How do you find these things and/or get your child to do them??? Right now my son does the power point at church for the services once a month and for most special events. That is it. I mean he goes with us on mission trips, but as far as ever intitiating anything himself... forget it. He would much prefer to do Stats or Physics by himself in his room than interact with people. When the youth serves at funtions, he hides. He will NOT do it.

 

If he is an introvert: there are ways to volunteer and serve the community without having to directly interact with people. Not everybody is interested in working with kids, youth groups, socializing.

He may, for instance, prefer doing computer work for a non-profit, managing their website, using his specific skills (whatever they are) for a good cause.

Or he may enjoy his own environmental project, adopt a stream for cleaning, or work in a park, if he enjoys the outdoors.

[regentrude]

I hate the idea of required community service hours. If it's required (for anything - school, confirmation, an award, etc) it is slave labor not volunteer service, as far as I'm concerned. They are being "paid" with their diploma, certificate, etc.

The requirement to count the hours leads to the idea that they should "get something" for volunteering. Kind of defeats the purpose. When they grow up, will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it...

(None of which is to say that kids shouldn't volunteer. And we do volunteer, where our strengths lie. It's that it is required that irks me.)

 

:iagree:

My DD volunteers because she enjoys it. She started reading in the elementary school library because she loved the school when she was a student (she went there for K-4) and wanted to do something to give back.

She is webmaster for the local equestrian organization because she was interested in web design, did the pager for her barn, and enjoyed the challenge.

 

I am sure as she gets more independent, she will be involved in more projects that serve others - just by sharing her gifts. Because it feels GOOD to do so. not because you get brownie points.

[Murphy101]

I hate the idea of required community service hours. If it's required (for anything - school, confirmation, an award, etc) it is slave labor not volunteer service, as far as I'm concerned. They are being "paid" with their diploma, certificate, etc.

 

The requirement to count the hours leads to the idea that they should "get something" for volunteering. Kind of defeats the purpose. When they grow up, will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it.

 

I don't count the hours on any of my volunteer work, and I don't know any other adult who does either.

 

(None of which is to say that kids shouldn't volunteer. And we do volunteer, where our strengths lie. It's that it is required that irks me.)

 

This is us too. Volunteering has little to do with academics or how good a student they are, so no I don't require it and no I don't keep record of it. Personally, I also think it is a boundary issue. What my kids do outside of school, like work, is none of the school's or their employer's business.

 

ETA: I also find it annoying when people presume teens don't need to earn money and should have to work for free. Um no. I don't mind my boys volunteering, but if they offer to mow your yard for a fee, then you need to pay up, not give some bs guilt trip about how don't they need service hours and just hand them a piece of paper. (Yes. This has happened once. And now it is always cash payment up front, tyvm.)

Edited April 17, 2011 by Martha

[MischiefManaged]

FWIW.

 

I hate the idea of required community service hours. If it's required (for anything - school, confirmation, an award, etc) it is slave labor not volunteer service, as far as I'm concerned. They are being "paid" with their diploma, certificate, etc.

 

The requirement to count the hours leads to the idea that they should "get something" for volunteering. Kind of defeats the purpose. When they grow up, will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it.

 

 

I tend to agree with this, but also disagree when it comes to the whole point of teaching to begin with: you teach what is required, and teach them to internalize it.

 

We require them to say yes m'am/ no m'am and learn common courtesy.....and some how they learn to internalize the respect and claim it as their own.

 

We require them to do certain subjects/ school work, and some how they internalize a love for learning along the way.

 

We require them to do community service, and they learn to realize just how rewarding it can be, and seek other ways to volunteer.

 

So while I don't particularly LIKE the idea of "required" community service, I do understand that requiring it doesn't necessarily lead to a will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it attitude.... unless that is what they see modeled. :)

[MischiefManaged]

How do you find these things and/or get your child to do them???

 

This is what I like about 4-H: it encourages kids to do projects on topics they ENJOY, and then helps point them in community service around that project.

[Julie in MN]

I expect my 9th grader to do one hour per week. If he doesn't have enough hours in things he's already arranged, I provide a job with "that family on our block who's getting behind because the dad is sick" -- i.e. doing service at home!

 

It helps because it's already on the MFW grid every Friday. He must check off the box!

 

By 12th grade, I'm sure I'll be requiring 2 hours a week or more. But I started with 1 hour in 9th.

Julie

[angela in ohio]

We require community service at all times for all of our children. They do it very willingly though, as it's just what they know. For example, my girls sought out their current regular positions after volunteering at a camp a few summers ago.

 

My girls work 5 hours per week in a special needs classroom as their main community service gig, along with other short-term projects (food kitchen, special needs summer camp, etc.) They get about 150 hours a year.

 

I was a "Volunteen" at a hospital all though high school, and that made me know that I would have my own dc do the same thing.

Edited April 17, 2011 by angela in ohio

[choirfarm]

If he is an introvert: there are ways to volunteer and serve the community without having to directly interact with people. Not everybody is interested in working with kids, youth groups, socializing.

He may, for instance, prefer doing computer work for a non-profit, managing their website, using his specific skills (whatever they are) for a good cause.

Or he may enjoy his own environmental project, adopt a stream for cleaning, or work in a park, if he enjoys the outdoors.

 

Ok, yes I get this and I agree. But how in the world does he get exposure to this? This would take initiative on HIS part. We have done some things for a homeless mission, but it is over half an hour away. His school takes him from 8 to 5 to get done and I'm thinking it will be worse next year. I mean right now:

 

Sunday- church activities take up most of the day

Monday- right now we are doing piano lessons for a couple of hours because their recital is in a couple of weeks. ( He's doing 6 -8 pieces.)

Tuesday- open

Wednesday- Morning- science co-op for younger 2, afternoon regular piano lessons then church activites

Thursday- afternoon is violin lesson for youngest in neighboring town and we make our weekly trip to that town's library since it is SO much bigger than our teeny one

Friday- really varies, there tend to be field trips, teen outings etc in the afternoon especially.

 

Weekends- we live on 50 acres so mowing, weeding, fixing fence etc all take up time

 

We used to have to take care of my dad when he lived with us and then on his own. We had to go several times a week. But he died. However, now the 99 year old great grandmother is here and we visit her many times throughout the week and the boys play their piano for those in the memory care ( though the piano is AWFUL.)

 

We also travel a lot so it has ben hard to make a commitment when we are gone so much. When dh is off, he wants us to be with him andwe often leave town because if he is off, but here then people will call. ( In a small town, you are never really off call.)

 

I bring meals to people in the hospital. He does help me with my different music groups I do at church to do things behind the scenes.

 

But I'm not sure where I would put driving him somewhere else in!!!

 

Christine

[Brilliant]

We require community service at all times for all of our children. They do it very willingly though, as it's just what they know.

 

For us, too. I voted that I "require" community service, but it's not really part of their schooling - it's just what we do as a family.

[Mallory]

But I'm not sure where I would put driving him somewhere else in!!!

 

 

 

You know it may be that he has enough helping. It sounds like he does lots of work on your place, and helps with church things and helps with the great grandmother. Him finding his own way to help at the hospital or with the church or at the memory care place might be good enough. It also sounds like your church keeps you very busy. I wonder if getting them involved in some chuch service projects might a good way for you to both stay as involved in your church and for you to do more service.

 

I also every year or so think about co-op or homeschool group and I keep deciding that for our family service wins out over play. We are not a part of any homeschooling group. That leaves us more time for helping. But if what you are doing works for you now, then I really think it sounds like you are very active with your community and helping and it may just be enough for now :D

[FloridaLisa]

This is us too. Volunteering has little to do with academics or how good a student they are, so no I don't require it and no I don't keep record of it. Personally, I also think it is a boundary issue. What my kids do outside of school, like work, is none of the school's or their employer's business.

 

The requirement to count the hours leads to the idea that they should "get something" for volunteering. Kind of defeats the purpose. When they grow up, will they ever volunteer for anything that doesn't result in them "getting something" for it.

 

I track my dc's volunteer hours just as I keep a running record of their reading list. It might or might not be something that will be needed or helpful for college. For oldest ds, it was very helpful. He was awarded a large scholarship for service-leadership and is part of a wonderful program with like-minded students. He now has great opportunities in college to continue volunteering.

 

We don't track *every* volunteer hour, like the many things the kids do at church (that's just life) or helping out an elderly family or doing a one-time job with a group. But we do keep track of long-term service positions.

 

Lisa

[AnitaMcC]

I don't remember ds coming home with any of these?

 

 

 

 

Maybe it is a squadron thing?

[AnitaMcC]

How do you find these things and/or get your child to do them??? Right now my son does the power point at church for the services once a month and for most special events. That is it. I mean he goes with us on mission trips, but as far as ever intitiating anything himself... forget it. He would much prefer to do Stats or Physics by himself in his room than interact with people. When the youth serves at funtions, he hides. He will NOT do it.

 

 

 

Nothing wrong with him not wanting to do volunteer service interacting with people.

 

My Ds#1 is like this too. He does prefer to not interact with a lot of people and to do things that keeps him sort of in the back ground. He is just now stepping out of his comfort zone on his own. Also he enjoys doing volunteer work that incorporates his interests. Which is why all his service hours are through CAP. Once he did help feed the homeless when he was preparing for his 1st Communion. He was very out of his comfort zone so he stayed in the kitchen helping preparing food and cleaning up. His twin sister was right up in front handing out stuff to the community and cleaning tables.

 

I will never require my kids to do community service that goes completely against their nature/comfort zone.

 

He can do a lot of other things... maybe help record food pantry items/restock the shelves, help in church office by filing papers, maybe do power point for church or another non-profit. Do an environmental project such as weeding a elderly neighbor's flower beds, etc.

[AnitaMcC]

Ok, yes I get this and I agree. But how in the world does he get exposure to this? This would take initiative on HIS part. We have done some things for a homeless mission, but it is over half an hour away. His school takes him from 8 to 5 to get done and I'm thinking it will be worse next year. I mean right now:

 

Sunday- church activities take up most of the day

Monday- right now we are doing piano lessons for a couple of hours because their recital is in a couple of weeks. ( He's doing 6 -8 pieces.)

Tuesday- open

Wednesday- Morning- science co-op for younger 2, afternoon regular piano lessons then church activites

Thursday- afternoon is violin lesson for youngest in neighboring town and we make our weekly trip to that town's library since it is SO much bigger than our teeny one

Friday- really varies, there tend to be field trips, teen outings etc in the afternoon especially.

 

Weekends- we live on 50 acres so mowing, weeding, fixing fence etc all take up time

 

We used to have to take care of my dad when he lived with us and then on his own. We had to go several times a week. But he died. However, now the 99 year old great grandmother is here and we visit her many times throughout the week and the boys play their piano for those in the memory care ( though the piano is AWFUL.)

 

We also travel a lot so it has ben hard to make a commitment when we are gone so much. When dh is off, he wants us to be with him andwe often leave town because if he is off, but here then people will call. ( In a small town, you are never really off call.)

 

I bring meals to people in the hospital. He does help me with my different music groups I do at church to do things behind the scenes.

 

But I'm not sure where I would put driving him somewhere else in!!!

 

Christine

 

 

I think that this is plenty for your son to do. You can encourage him to do other things here and there but there is no reason why he has to do service hours on a regular schedule. Maybe when he is able to drive himself he will be ready to take the initiative. Just my humble opinion here....

[Brindee]

 

In helping my daughter fill out her service forms for Homeschool National Honor Society, I was wondering how her service experience compares to other teens.

Soooo............ how does everyone compare?