1. Finding Teens Volunteer Experiences in the 21st Century
Generation Assist

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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!

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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!

12. 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

13. Bibliography of Web Resources
Cross Cultural Solutions. (2011). Crossculturalsolutions.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011 from:
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:
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:
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:
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:
A search index which simply allows one to search for local volunteer opportunities. My search garnered results in my city!

14. Questions?
Contact Information: Anthony R. Forfia Facilitator, North Coast Academy