Terri NS Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 What does your teen do for volunteer work? I'm in need of some fresh ideas, apparently our town has an abundance of volunteers and the places I've checked don't need any assistance...library, elementary school, senior's home, hospital, food bank, food kitchen. I'm suspecting that no one has a desire of working with a teen, although many 16 year olds have paid employment. I'd like her to do more than fund-raise so something active...any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugs Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Church (nursery, bulletins, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I could use about 30 timers at a swim meet tomorrow night. We even provide free training! Teens are welcome :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Museums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) Dd works with the Humane Society. She has walked dogs at the shelter and played with the cats, but her main focus has been fostering dogs too needy to be at the shelter or waiting for transport. Our older son worked with Habitat for Humanity, and both sons did quite a bit of work with hurricane relief. All of the children have helped with VBS. As a family, we have participated in church clean up and grounds work. Edited January 13, 2012 by 1Togo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Habitat for Humanity - younger teens may work at the houses when they are painting, landscaping, and for final cleanup (no power tools allowed). They can also volunteer in the store. Ds has volunteered at the local rec center in their summer camp program. They would probably take volunteer in their after-school program as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 We went thru Guiding Eyes for the Blind - very minimal cost to us, but over a year's HARD work for dd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 (edited) tutoring? I think of volunteering as ANY activity where a person offers time or expertise to others without being paid for her efforts. So, designing a website for a local organization would be volunteering as well. Or teaching a class to younger homeschoolers. Or adopting a street or a stream and picking up trash. ETA: My DD is webmaster for a local equestrian organization and also tutors math and physics. Edited January 12, 2012 by regentrude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My teens have volunteered at a local children's museum (teens rotate through the craft room and exhibit areas), a horse rescue (stall mucking, carrying feed buckets, etc.), the library (they helped during special programs to set up/clean up/lead activities, but the library did not use teen volunteers on a regular basis), and at church during VBS as well as serving as parking lot attendants during special events. In MD, teen service hours were required for high school graduation so there were lots of options for teens, but we are having a harder time finding organizations set up for teen volunteers here in VA. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 501©3 theaters, any running event (5k, triathlons, etc.), clubs such as garden, sailing, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 YMCA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My 14 yo helps her former ballet teacher with a class of first grade girls. She has done this since she was about 9, and the then-3 year olds thought she was a big girl. Some of her gymnast friends volunteer with classes and meets for the younger girls. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 YMCA Our YMCA does not allow volunteers under the age of 18. Ds would have loved to volunteer in the sports programs there. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Habitat for Humanity - younger teens may work at the houses when they are painting, landscaping, and for final cleanup (no power tools allowed). They can also volunteer in the store. One of the states we lived in required them to be 18 to help on site at a Habitat house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 Our YMCA does not allow volunteers under the age of 18. Ds would have loved to volunteer in the sports programs there. :confused: We have two choices for teens. 1. Join the YMCA teen leadership committee. Volunteer hours at the Y are required. 2. Become an assistant coach under a parent. (I'm not sure whether any approved adult would work or if it has to be a parent/child relationship.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 My daughter has just started working at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. She has also volunteered as a junior counselor at our church's summer program. My son volunteers twice a month at the science museum. During the summer, he volunteers as a junior counselor at a local theatre's day camps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in MN Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 I do think that if you asked during the Christmas season, you likely would have found little need for extra volunteers. If that's when you were asking, then it's worth asking again later. As for other ideas, my ds put in a LOT of effort at VBS last summer. Between set-up and planning, and take-down, plus extras he was asked to do, it was a good 3 weeks full-time work. I gave him an entire year of service credit. I also asked the VBS director for a letter of recommendation :) Our local nature center is trying to put together something using teens, both teaching young 'uns and doing projects. Although the guy doing this was homeschooled, so that may not be your every day experience :) The student can also design his own project. That's often what Eagle Scouts and Girl Scout Gold Award projects are about. I know two girls who put on a summer camp for disabled kids, and one of MFW's Hazell boys held some kind of sleep-in-boxes-in-winter as a homeless awareness (and maybe fundraiser). There was a space set aside in our local nature center for some kind of Eagle Scout project. My Girl Scouts did a lot of collecting things, like toiletries or birthday basics for the shelter kids or the nursing home residents. I also think putting up a little sign at church, saying what the student is willing to do as a service (tutor, rake, babysit), might help. One of the states we lived in required them to be 18 to help on site at a Habitat house. When my dh once asked (here in MN), they told him they didn't need help unless he was an electrician or something. I don't think all areas are the same. Julie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 You might want to phone your City Hall and see if they have any programs available. In our area we have Youth Court which my son LOVES to participate in. 2x a month he gets to try actual youth court cases (with an actual judge presiding). These are real cases involving students in local schools who have been caught with drugs, truancy, smoking, fighting, etc. The defendant must plead guilty to be allowed to participate in Youth Court, and they must follow all the 'punishments' meted out by the Youth Court...examples such as do so many hours of community service, write apology letters, etc. If they don't then they have to go to actual Juvenile Court which will go on their permanent records. So Youth Court is a privilege. City Hall sends my ds a letter each month listing his community service hours on legitimate paper with our city's seal. Perfect for college transcripts, but also a lot of fun. It's one extracurricular he never wants to miss. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamajo Posted January 12, 2012 Share Posted January 12, 2012 We made care packages over the Christmas holidays and gave them out to homeless people we saw on the street. The time it took to shop for bags, make them, and hand out. We helped at our church's Thanksgiving outreach. Stuffing bags and handing them out in a needy community. DD volunteers in church nursery once a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri NS Posted January 12, 2012 Author Share Posted January 12, 2012 Thanks some good ideas...we are just in such a small town. I guess we will have to look a little further. I was rather surprised to not have any takers on the calls I made locally. We've found a few interesting things in the city though to follow up on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Volunteer things my teens do: volunteered at the local elementary and middle schools helping beginning band students. Mowed baseball fields for the Little League. Volunteered at church and at local food pantry. Helped coach Little League baseball and softball. Shoveled snow for elders. Played in pit orchestras for high school and local community musicals. Arranged chairs/setup for local community and church events. Run lights/sound for local events at the gym. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I could use about 30 timers at a swim meet tomorrow night. We even provide free training! Teens are welcome :D Our recreational soccer league trains teens to serve as sideline referees. And the bolder teens can even center ref for the very young kids' games. My middle son volunteered as a teacher's aide for the middle school Journalism class at our co-op during his senior year of high school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 My girls spend every other Friday in classrooms for children wtih severe special needs. They rock them, sing to them, play with them, wheel them around for walks, participate in music therapy with them, etc. They also help out with some Special Olympics events and a summer camp for mentally and physically disabled students. They also make tray favors for Meals on Wheels, help at the local food pantry meals (not often, as they have a lot of help already,) sew baby booties and blankets for Newborns in Need and Project Linus, and volunteer to babysit for leaders in our activities (Scouts, etc.) during events. Our local Ronald McDonald House is always looking for people to play games or plan events, make meals or treats, decorate, etc. We've not done it yet. Our zoo also has an extensive teen volunteer program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Join the YMCA teen leadership committee. Volunteer hours at the Y are required. :iagree: I was just going to type this. Our local Y is always asking for teens to serve on its Teen Leadership committee. There are also regional competitions and state rally at the capitol day too for those in the Y program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Does your town have a nursing home? Maybe reading aloud to an older person or doing puzzles with them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Thanks some good ideas...we are just in such a small town. I guess we will have to look a little further. I was rather surprised to not have any takers on the calls I made locally. We've found a few interesting things in the city though to follow up on. And could that be the problem? I am a volunteer at a bird rehab center. We have become very leery of parents who phone asking if we will allow their teens to volunteer. We find that it is not necessarily the teens who want to volunteer when the parents are placing the call. On the other hand, when a teen is at the door expressing a desire to do dirty work, you can bet that we are happy to hand over a sponge and mop. Our county 4-H office often sends out a shout for volunteers to assist at community events sponsored by other groups. For example the Jaycees or Rotary may sponsor something in the community and need some extra hands. The teens who form the county council take on volunteer work regularly as a group. Does the Nature Conservancy have an office near you or do you have a River Watch group? These and other environmental groups often have projects where they do group plantings or trash pick up. I would look at their Internet sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) the calls I made locally. Bingo! I see Jane in NC has said this already, but yeah, this could be a huge problem. I would give your teen a copy of this thread and tell him to figure it out. Someone else mentioned refereeing kids' sports games; our Little League no longer hires professional referees for their fall instructional league. One of the dads always has to be the umpire, and I am sure that they would love having some teens volunteer in their place. Terri Edited January 13, 2012 by plansrme typo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Home_s_Cool Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 For our local public hs - all students are supposedly "required" to log 100 hours over their high school career to graduate (20-freshman, 20-sophmore, 30-junior and 30-senior). So we are "competing" with all the teenagers in our town of about 800 high school students. Places always ask if this is for school (they have to sign forms to verifying the volunteering). My girls like to help out wherever they are and will work hard. Once they were helping in the food booth at our local soccer tourn. and some teenagers came up to "do their time for community service". So they jumped in the food booth - helped some, mostly chatted for 2 hours, go their form signed and left. Last summer, my girls went to a larger nearby town and applied to volunteer in the children's section during the summer. Since the librarians knew us - they accepted them, no problem. They had a wonderful experience. Other than that, we haven't pursued it much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 My teen volunteers at the library and in a few months will be volunteering at an animal shelter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 I also think Jane has a very good point. However, teens can also create their own volunteer work by seeing a need and doing it. The easiest category of this sort of thing is fund raising. Last summer my oldest raised $5000 for the Wounded Warrior project by having a strike out marathon on his summer league baseball. But car washes, bake sales, etc. are easy enough to do. If you are a member of a church and your teen is interested in doing yard work or reading to shut ins, they probably could do that too. However, they can also end up starting something on their own if they see something that needs to be done and manage to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Last summer my oldest raised $5000 for the Wounded Warrior project by having a strike out marathon on his summer league baseball. Awww! What a great idea. You must be so proud of him! Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 Awww! What a great idea. You must be so proud of him! Terri I am! Although, he'd be quick to tell you the fund raiser was the easy part, throwing the strikes was the hard part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri NS Posted January 13, 2012 Author Share Posted January 13, 2012 Well managed to get something sorted out for her that isn't too far from home, she'll be at the food bank on Friday afternoons : ) I'm glad we (I) don't have to drive into the city. Part of the problem is as a previous poster mentioned, a local school organizes many of the teens who attend the school to do work around town and it's easier for the organization to deal directly with one person at the school. We also don't have YMCA/ humane society and such in our small town and even our museum and our pool/ rowing clubs etc are seasonal. She's done a lot of volunteer work when she was involved with 4 H or Girl Guides but she didn't want to tie herself into those organizations anymore. Anyway thanks for the great ideas- hopefully others have received some new ideas as well. And congrats to all the community minded kiddo's : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josie Posted January 13, 2012 Share Posted January 13, 2012 In our area we have Youth Court which my son LOVES to participate in. 2x a month he gets to try actual youth court cases (with an actual judge presiding). These are real cases involving students in local schools who have been caught with drugs, truancy, smoking, fighting, etc. The defendant must plead guilty to be allowed to participate in Youth Court, and they must follow all the 'punishments' meted out by the Youth Court...examples such as do so many hours of community service, write apology letters, etc. If they don't then they have to go to actual Juvenile Court which will go on their permanent records. So Youth Court is a privilege. :D Our dd does this program once a week. She loves it. She has also done the attorney training, so she can serve as an attorney for the state or the defendant. I am a volunteer judge for the program, and I find it very rewarding to give these kids a second chance. Here you only need to be doctor of jurisprudence to be a judge; you don't need to be a sitting judge. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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