jenn- Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 What does your young teen do for volunteer work? I am trying to think of things I could pursue for my oldest to start doing soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 We all volunteer together at a local county pet shelter. We walk the dogs and play with the cats. Dd also volunteers at a local food pantry sorting food into boxes. She has to have so many volunteer hours for ps, so she also pays attention to things going on in our town. She can volunteer at carnivals, charity walk-a-thons, and races by greeting, taking tickets, and helping clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artichoke Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 We do several things as a family including the local food bank, homeless shelter, help center, etc. This summer she'll be volunteering on her own at a local historic home as a junior docent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBeth Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 If your city has a Teen Court program, I highly recommend that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 My dd11 volunteers at the Y with the babies and toddlers. She loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 My son volunteers during the summer as a "junior counselor" for the day camps at a local theatre. His duties range from handing out crayons and escorting kids to the bathroom all the way up to helping small groups with creative projects and, occasionally when an extra body is needed, appearing in their mini-production for parents at the end of the week. During the academic year, he volunteers at the local science museum, doing demonstrations and activities for kids and answering guests' questions and generally helping out where he's needed. This year, he's doing double shifts, because he also trained as a volunteer for the travelling Star Wars exhibition. He has done a variety of projects with the youth group at church, such as fundraisers and supply drives for charities and service organizations. Tomorrow, for example, he'll be spending all day on the church campus, rehearsing and setting up for a variety show the youth are putting on to raise money for a cause the church supports. He has recently started assisting with a few classes at his dance studio, training so that he'll be able to teach in the future. We're not counting those as "volunteer" hours, though, since it's more like job training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 My teen volunteers at our library. He has also volunteered at a local animal refuge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Right now, both of our teens volunteer at our local library. However, they are looking into volunteer opportunities at two our our local museums (natural history and children's) for the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Don't have a teen yet, but my niece volunteers at an assisted living facility. She helps with games, crafts, etc. She loves it and they love the extra help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 When she was 10, dd volunteered at a dog rescue and the library. Currently dd, now 15, volunteers with a guinea pig rescue (continuously for 4 years), as an adaptive aquatics aid at the community center pool (for 2 years), as an aid at a day camp for children with disabilities (started last summer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mnemosyne Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Starting at 14, I volunteered with the local Search and Rescue team and at the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 From our family's ongoing direct experience with caring for a frail grandfather in our home (turns 91 in May), and with our monitoring the care of the grandmother with advanced Alzheimer's, DD has her heart set on volunteering in a hospice program. She turns 14 in March, and we are trying to find a place that will accept her starting in the summer. She also is the youngest member of our parish church's recently-begun program for preparing a body for burial, according to the historical Orthodox practices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trilliums Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 The kids' 4H group has a lot of volunteer opportunities throughout the year from helping out at free lunch programs to Special Olympics dinners. Also, my kids help out at a computer programming club for younger kids. DS #2 has tried repeatedly to volunteer at the library, but it has never worked out. They are both trying to get started doing some basic programming/data manipulation for a local nonprofit. Finding something for them to do around age 12 was hard. By 14 it has become easier though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 I know a few teens who have found volunteer opportunities through this site: http://www.volunteermatch.org You can filter the results for your area to specifically list only those opportunities for teens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 My son did a lot of community service work through 4-H. Additionally he volunteered at a shorebird/raptor rehab center where he did hands on work with the birds. He also refurbished an old computer for the center. As a high school student he was able to volunteer at a local archaeological dig. With a letter of recommendation from a state archaeologist there, he was able to volunteer at a college archaeological field school while still a high school student. This led to his essay for his college apps--great experience all around! He assisted with children's programs at a library. This led to a part time summer position there. Volunteer opportunities for teens can open lots of doors. But I must issue a warning here. I am on the board of directors of the shorebird/raptor center. We are not impressed when parents call us and ask if their kids can volunteer. On more than one occasion, this has been the parent's idea of what the kids should be doing--not what the kids want to do. I would have your teen make inquiries and figure out what he wants to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 MIne is going to start volunteering at the local animal shelter. He also does seasonal volunteer work with Camp Fire USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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