Finding Teens Volunteer Experiences in the 21st Century Generation Assist

It's easy to make a buck.  It's a lot tougher to make a difference.  ~Tom Brokaw

Why Teens should volunteer Increasing work skills when jobs are scarce Making connections to their home communities Developing a life long love of helping their world community Forming deeper more meaningful friendships

Community and School Benefits of Active Teenage Volunteering Teens will be more self-assured and confident to take and accept challenges Teens will develop a deeper more meaningful connection with their school or library Teens are the best recruiters of new teen volunteers

The Research Tells Us…. Young people volunteer at twice the rate of adults When teens volunteer, they are less likely to get involved with risky behavior Youth contribute 1.3 billion hours of community service each year Volunteering is becoming more popular than having a job

Guiding our teens to volunteer In order for our teens to learn the importance of volunteering their time, they must witness adults serving their community. In fact, a youth with an adult role model who volunteers is three times as likely to begin volunteering themselves!

Who can serve as a volunteer role model? Parents do not necessarily have to serve as a teenager’s volunteer role model. The volunteer role model can be YOU! A public or school librarian A teacher A community activist A family friend

Encouraging Youth to Think Local First When beginning a volunteer or community service program, one must first look at their own community. Teens are generally more engaged when they have a personal connection. Contact the local community center Contact City Hall Contact local service agencies Search the local paper for volunteer opportunities Search the internet! Most volunteer sites allow you to enter a zip code to search for experiences close to where one lives.

Matching an experience with interests Teenagers should not be simply thrown into a volunteer experience that does not match their interests. Surveying teens will allow a proper volunteer match. Some general categories are: Animal Welfare Disaster Response Discrimination Education The Environment Health Awareness War, Peace, and Politics

Supervision of volunteer experiences Set ground rules for behavior and make sure to follow all guidelines provided from the cooperating agency Treat teens with respect and listen to their questions and concerns. Allow teens to ask questions about their placement Welcome input about changes and modifications Recognize teens who go above and beyond the call of duty Train teen volunteer leaders to recruit and train new volunteers

Volunteering with Web 2.0 Web 2.0 technology has enabled a new generation of volunteers. It does not take long to think of an idea and then post it to a volunteer website. Your idea can become the next big thing. Public and School Library Volunteer Initiatives Community Initiatives Change the World!

Volunteering with Web 2.0 In addition to posting your volunteer idea on a community service website, one can also create social networking pages to advertise your project and to recruit volunteers. Twitter Facebook YouTube

Bibliography of Web Resources Cross Cultural Solutions. (2011). Crossculturalsolutions.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/volunteering-abroad/who/teens.aspx This site is more of an international volunteering clearinghouse that connects teens with summer-long experiences. This site is dedicated for those who are serious about volunteering   Global Routes. (2011). Globalroutes.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://www.globalroutes.org/ An international volunteer matching organization which accepts applications from willing teens. Teens participate in a three-five week experience building schools, teaching English, and helping people in rural villages. The Do Something Generation. (2011). Dosomething.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://www.dosomething.org/ This very interactive website connects teens with interesting and local volunteer experiences. It also allows teens to discover their volunteering interests. Volunteer Match. (2011) Volunteermatch.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://www.volunteermatch.org/ A great site which allows teens to search volunteer positions in their community. Results are dated to provide the most recent postings Volunteer Solutions. (2011) volunteer.truist.com/. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from: http://volunteer.truist.com/ A search index which simply allows one to search for local volunteer opportunities. My search garnered results in my city!

Questions? Contact Information: Anthony R. Forfia Facilitator, North Coast Academy aforfia@yahoo.com