Teen Community Service Ideas

Teen Community Service Ideas

Maybe you have to volunteer or maybe you want to. This list of Teen Community Service Ideas will get you started. If you haven't read Teens Volunteer, Getting Started yet, you might want to do that first.

I think you should have fun, be creative and learn when you are volunteering. As a teenager, you are probably beginning to have some ideas about what you want to do with your life (and lots of adults are probably nagging you about it). When you volunteer you get to explore something you haven't tried before. That's the cool part.

Of course, there is the chance that somebody wants you to do community service that is boring, dull or just not your thing. If that happens, you need to be prepared with some ideas of your own, so you get to choose!

Think about your skills and interests. What do you like to do when you have a choice? What are you good at, what do people compliment you on? At this point in your life you - YES, YOU - have some talents that make you very special. This is your chance to use them.

Go back and read that again if you are still feeling like you don't want to do community service!

What I am going to give you here is a list of ideas. They may not work for you, they may not be available in your neighborhood, or you may not like them. BUT there is enough here to get you thinking. Then you can Email me and ask questions or tell me how it goes.

Your volunteer job may be something that exists (like becoming a hospital volunteer) or something you create. If you are earning your Boy Scout Eagle or Girl Scout Gold award you will need to create your own.

Here goes:

Love the arts? Look for a nonprofit performing arts center or theatre in your town. Find out what you can do for them, like working in the box office or being an usher. Make sure you get to see the performances for free!
Want to help homeless families? Check with your church, temple or mosque. Many communities have a Family Promise or Interfaith Hospitality Network program. Families with children stay in congregations for a week at a time. You could play with the children, cook a meal or provide entertainment.
Interested in gardening or farming? You may want to start by volunteering at a public garden or farm. From there you could start your own community gardening. Ask the town for a small plot to use and invite the community to participate.
Are you a natural organizer? Consider organizing a drive. You could collect food (for a local pantry), coats, gloves or hats or blankets. You'll have to find out where you can donate them and get a storage space at home, school or your congregation. You should be able to get free newspaper publicity. (Make it even more interesting, ask people to buy fleece throws and you decorate them...)
Into music? Form a chorus or band and provide entertainment at nursing homes, shelters, orphanages or public spaces.
Love animals? Volunteer to walk and feed the dogs at a local shelter or be trained to work at a zoo.
Do you have experiences to share? You can write about them or speak about them to groups your own age. Many organizations that work with children would be interested in these. If you were adopted, you could speak about that. If you had a parent die or leave, share that. Organizations that work with teens may have a teen advisory board, check it out.

Getting Started

Check with friends, family, teachers and neighbors for ideas. Go online or to the phone book for contact information. Hate to make calls? (me too!) get a partner (or a parent) to make the initial call and find out who might be interested in your services. Then go see them.

Good Luck!

PS I hope that was enough to get you started, but check back, I will offer more ideas and post yours if you send them to me!