14 Reasons Why Youth Should Do Volunteer Work

One of my goals for the year was to get my kids involved in some youth volunteer work. We started doing some volunteer work for an assisted living home interacting with the elderly. It has been such a joy to see the way my kids interact with the residents and take pride in reading stories to them. The residents light up whenever they see my kids. I had a few reasons in mind for wanting to do volunteer work, but soon discovered that there are so many benefits to getting our youth volunteering in the community.

Here are 14 reasons why your youth should be doing some volunteer work:

Make someone smile-Many service opportunities involve helping those that are going through various trials in their lives.　 A volunteer can be that support that brings a smile to someone in need.
Stay out of trouble– According to a 2017 study from the University of Iowa, “Researchers in the UI College of Public Health found that teenagers who participated in volunteer activities on their own had 11 percent fewer illegal behaviors between the ages of 18 and 28 than teenagers who did not volunteer. Teenagers who volunteer also had 31 percent fewer arrests and 39 percent fewer convictions, according to the study. That trend continued as they grew older; self-volunteers reported 53 percent fewer arrests and 36 percent fewer convictions between the ages of 24 and 34.”
Learn Gratitude– “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
Build Self-Worth-Youth will begin to learn that when they do things to brighten the lives of others, they will begin to feel internal satisfaction. This will begin to help them feel better about who they are, allowing them to be able to express their individuality, and take more action.
Develop a new skill– There are so many different opportunities to volunteer that could open your youth up to a talent they never knew they had. This could propel them into a career that they had never even thought about.
Improve social skills– Often times, volunteer opportunities consist of serving and interacting with other people.
Leadership skills– There are many leadership qualities that can come with volunteering. It can help our youth value other people, develop independence and time management, a sense of drive, and value of setting goals.
Part of something bigger– We are always searching for deeper meaning and purpose in our daily lives. Being involved in service allows us to feel more fulfilled and get outside of ourselves to connect with a meaningful purpose.
Get off video games-We all know kids love video games and could spend limitless hours on them. Check out my blog post School’s out, make way for video games.
Value time of others-In our hustle and bustle society, it’s easy to forget that everyone’s time is valuable. We can be so distracted by the email and social media likes, that we forgot to be truly present for others. When we are giving of our own time, it helps us to realize how important everyone’s time really is.
References-When you volunteer for various organizations, it will help youth build those all-important references which will aid them in finding future employment or getting into a university.
People are real– Our youth are creating text based relationships that don’t always allow for human interaction. Getting away from social media and into the community will allow them to be reminded that people are real.
Teachers-As your youth integrate into the community and continue to reap the rewards of volunteer work, they will want to share their stories with others. They will continue to pass down the importance of serving the community to future generations.
Become Dreamers-All the positive traits and experiences that will come to your youth from getting out and volunteering while build the future innovators that our world continues to need to flourish.