Why and Where to Volunteer – Young Adults

While you might be busy with school, extra-curricular activities, or work, you may also want to think about volunteering. Despite what you may think, volunteering isn't only for adults. Look around, and you can find opportunities and benefits for youth as well! Here are a few ways volunteering can be a great activity for you.

Career Exploration

Some people have a hard time deciding what career path they want to follow. Volunteering is one of the ways you can make this process easier. First, think of a career path that you might be interested in. Then, find a related group or cause to volunteer for and see how you like it.

For example, if you're thinking about working with animals or being a veterinarian, you could volunteer at a local animal shelter. Maybe you plan to work with kids as a teacher. You could volunteer for a youth organization or an after-school program. These opportunities will help you gain insight on what it's like to work in your field of interest.

If you have volunteered and it was not what you had expected for your career, you can always explore other areas that interest you. That way, you can gain experience related to the job and see if it is something that you really want to do. 

Making New Friends and Contacts

Volunteering lets you meet a lot of new people. You can bet you share at least one interest with the people you volunteer with because you're working for the same company or group. You can make friends and connect with the volunteer coordinator. The people you volunteer with could even end up as references for you someday. Moreover, many jobs and scholarships ask for references from people you have worked with, and volunteering is a great way to meet these people.

Building Skills

As a volunteer, you're building up your skills for the future. While you are not getting paid, the other benefits can be more rewarding.  Volunteering shows your commitment to the cause or group. You may even be in charge of other people while volunteering and gain transferrable leadership skills.

Organizing a program or an event can help you understand the process of executing the project. When volunteering, you may also work in a group. This will help you learn how to effectively communicate to accomplish goals as a team. In short, the skills you learn by volunteering go a long way in your life and career.

Meeting Requirements

Many high schools and colleges have clubs and honor societies. Many of these groups require service hours for members. Your school or a class you take may also require you to have volunteer hours.

Also, some schools offer scholarships to students who do volunteer work. These scholarships usually require a certain amount of service hours to stay qualified. This allows you to simultaneously gain essential skills, help your community, and pay for school.  

Expanding Your Horizons

Volunteering often gets you to spend time with people outside of your usual "crowd." It may also send you to other countries. For example, you might work in helping homeless people or fly overseas to a different country to offer help. Thus, being a volunteer can enlighten you and make you a more well-rounded person.

Helping Others

Volunteering can help you in a lot of ways. But what really matters is that you are helping other people. When you volunteer, you give your skills to another group that is in need. You are supporting your community or an organization while you are helping them; it's work you can be proud of.

Where to Start

You can volunteer at any number of places. This includes:

• Churches.
• Schools.
• Nonprofit organizations.
• Much more. 
  

There are volunteer programs across the United States and the world at large.

A good place to start is Serve Illinois. Here, you can enter your ZIP code and search for volunteer programs running near you. You can also sort your results by category to better find something that fits your interests. If you're thinking of volunteering, it's a great way to find current openings.

You could also check if the high school, college, or university you go to has any volunteer programs. These programs may be done through classes or student groups. They can help you get real-world experience in your field. Also, in many cases, you might even be able to get college credit for taking part in them! A few examples of student volunteer programs include:¹

• NGO Service Projects.
• Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL).
• Medical / Healthcare.
• Childcare.
• Environment / Conservation.

Finally, there are a handful of groups that support volunteering across the whole country. Here are a few examples:

The American Red Cross understands the power of young adults and encourages them to get involved in a variety of ways. These include Red Cross clubs, leadership development camps, and much more.

If you are a college student, you can check out volunteer opportunities on your campus. Most schools have a list of service opportunities, clubs, or organizations on their website. You can always ask your fellow classmates or check bulletin boards around campus. For more info, search for your local chapter here.

Habitat for Humanity works with young adults to make a difference in their local community. They work together to build homes for those in need.

These are just a couple of examples of service jobs for young adults. It doesn't stop there! You can find places to volunteer everywhere you look. Try to think of an area you would like to work in and find a local organization you can help. Start volunteering and building your skills and benefit from your hard work!

 

Sources

¹https://www.volunteerhq.org/blog/volunteer-abroad-for-college-students/

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