A Perfect Match: Teenagers and Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to get your adolescent "out of herself" and to encourage her to think of others and become a compassionate young adultht. Self-centeredness very often defines adolescence and volunteer work can motivate teens to break out of depression or any feelings of having no control over one's life. Through volunteerism, a teen can gain perspective on life, either by realizing there are others who have a more difficult life than they do, or by just learning about different kinds of people. It's also a great way to beat boredom and looks good on college applications!

Very often, teenagers learn quite a bit about themselves through volunteering. They have opportunities to meet many new friends they might not have met through their general circles of friends. Teens are in the process of learning not only about other people, but about themselves as well. Volunteering offers teens the chance to learn about themselves in ways they never could by playing sports, talking on their cell phones, or by playing video games. Most often, the hardest part about volunteering is figuring out the opportunity that best fits your teenagers's personality.

There is a volunteer opportunity for every kind of teenager out there. To get your teen jumpstarted, here are a few ideas to assist in choosing the best one for her.

• A great way to volunteer and meet lots of interesting people is to volunteer at the public library. Librarians often need an extra set of hands to do special projects that they might not have time to do, such as data entry, shelving books, repairing books, helping in the local history room, homework help, and a variety of other activities that help the public and teach your teen about the profession of librarian. Contact your local library for volunteer opportunities.

• Habitat for Humanities is an excellent choice for any teen interested in the building trades or for someone who doesn't mind rolling up her sleeves. The organization builds houses for people who cannot afford to buy a home otherwise. They build worldwide, but there are plenty of places in the United States that need volunteers. Please visit the Habitat web site (http://www.habitat.org) for more information.

• Teaching another person how to read is a fulfilling way to spend your time. Many teens who are bored may be drawn to this activity, as it is one on one and offers a great deal of satisfaction. Often, a volunteer will see progress in the person she is tutoring, and just may make a friend in the process. Please contact your local Reading is Fundamental (http://www.rif.org) or Literacy Volunteers (http://www.literacyvolunteers.org) organization.

• If your teen is a wiz with computers, perhaps she'd like to volunteer her web design services to a local charity that may not have the funds to pay someone for their web design skills. If web design isn't her forte, perhaps she could assist with general computer help at the organization. Contact any local charity to see if they need help with this.

• Volunteering at a local animal shelter, for some teens, could be pure nirvana. To be surrounded by animals that have no home, a teen who may feel out of place in her own body, around her own family, or around her friends could find new friends in these displaced animals. Duties in the animal shelter may include cleaning cages, feeding animals, or just giving them some love. Contact your local animal shelter or SPCA (http://www.spca.com).

• Your teen might be the sort who is headed for greatness as a politician and might want some experience volunteering locally on political campaigns. There are plenty of opportunities in local political campaigns, as well as local chapters of state and national campaigns.

• If you live in a city with a Ronald McDonald House, this could be the best place for your teen to volunteer! Ronald McDonald Houses are for kids who are seriously ill and their families. Many times a child who is ill must travel long distances to be treated at a medical center in a larger or different city from where they live. Since living in a hotel can be quite costly and sterile, the Ronald McDonald House offers a warm environment at very low cost. Your teen would be helping other kids by working in the front office doing office work like answering phones, or she could be helping with laundry and general house chores (getting practice for home!).

• Perhaps your child is into being solitary and would like to volunteer from the privacy of her own bedroom. The Guideposts Knit For Kids project is made up of people around the country knitting sweaters for children in need. Since 1997, Guideposts has collected over 200,000 hand-knit or crocheted sweaters from volunteers who have donated their time and materials for children around the world. If your child is the crafty sort, check out their web site, http://www.dailyguideposts.com/. They even offer their own pattern!

If none of these opportunities appeal to your teenager, he or she might want to check out Volunteer Match at http://www.volunteermatch.org/. To find a volunteer opportunity, all you do is type in your zip code, select how far you are willing to go, and select an area in which to volunteer, such as "animals," or "advocacy and human rights." Whatever endeavor your teenager chooses, it will be rewarding and educational in many ways.