As students and parents are well aware, the school year soon will be over. The final bell will ring, the homework will be finished, the days will start to warm, and that timeless question that accompanies the lazy days of summer will return to the forefront: “Um, now what?”
Yes, for all of the excitement and anticipation that accompanies summer, having much time on your hands — too much? — isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. So it is with much interest that we note a recent article by Columbian reporter Scott Hewitt about volunteer opportunities for teens.
“Most people want to volunteer to help other people in their community who may be in need,” said Braden Beisse, the regional director of Verified Volunteers. “But some want to meet new people and gain new experiences. And in this job market, finding a summer job or even a post-graduation job is not the easiest thing in the world. Volunteering is a great way to build your resume, and it can be crucial to getting out there, getting into the job market.”
Volunteering to assist worthy civic causes is nothing new, yet it is more prevalent among today’s young people than it was for previous generations. While many a curmudgeon will lament the state of today’s teenagers — an age-old and weary complaint that gets passed from generation to generation — in truth the youth of today are much more socially aware and much more connected to the world around them than their predecessors were. In many cases, that translates into a desire to volunteer.
From 1989 to 2005, the number of teenagers who did volunteer work grew from 13.4 percent to 28.4 percent, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency. Among the reasons: “There has been a growing trend to include community service and service-learning in America’s schools as educators and school administrators realize the value of service for youth academic and personal development. … Together, our report and other research points to a historic level of community engagement among today’s teenagers.”
That engagement has continued over the past decade. In 2012, research by DoSomething.org, which promotes volunteerism and activism among young people, claimed that more than half of American teenagers and young adults performed some volunteer work in the previous year. Interestingly, surveys showed that the most important motivator was having friends who volunteered, proving that even when it comes to good works, humans are subject to peer pressure.
Volunteer work is a resume builder and looks good on college applications, and many teenagers view such efforts as a stepping stone to a brighter future. A word of caution, however: In 2011, DoSomething.org surveyed admissions officers at 32 of the nation’s top colleges and found that most prefer to see a student who sticks with one cause, not one who dabbles in a laundry list of volunteer opportunities.
Regardless of the personal reasons involved, teenagers seeking volunteer opportunities will find no shortage of outlets. As Hewitt reported: “There’s a world of need out there. Local nonprofit agencies and other organizations … are eager to sign up young people for summer stints making a difference.” All that is required is a desire to help out. Summer, after all, is longer and more boring than you probably remember.
