High Schools require your teenager to engage in community service projects as part of graduation requirements. Colleges and universities, as part of the admission process, want to see a commitment to a particular charity, community project or event throughout high school. The college is interested is assessing your teen’s commitment to the world at large. Community service projects cast your teen in a different light, allowing each college to see the teen as more than just a GPA and SAT/ACT score. It give them an insight into your teens beliefs and passions and helps them determine if your teen is the type of person they want on campus.
It is important to plan for and begin engaging in community service projects as early as ninth grade. The more committed your teen is to a particular cause, the more hours spent helping the organization, the better when applying for college. It is far better to choose one or two causes and stick with them throughout high school than to pick a myriad of service projects over the years. Consistency is the key to success in planning appropriate activities. Many teens have difficulty determining what to do and where to find volunteer opportunities. Below is a list of general ideas, websites, and books that discuss a variety of opportunities available throughout your area. Before getting started, discuss the idea with your teen’s high school counselor, fill out the necessary paperwork and your teen is ready to go!
Happy volunteering!!
Volunteer Organization Match is a great tool for finding volunteer opportunities in your community.
http://www.volunteermatch.org
Help the Environment
Ideas For Community Service Projects And Activities
– Plant a tree.
– Clean up trash from a park, sidewalk or other public area.
– Recycle.
– Plant a garden and share the produce with your neighbors.
– Start a community garden and invite neighbors to plant produce and help tend the garden.
– Start a compost pile.
Three excellent online resources to steer you to ways to help the environment are:
Do Something.org http://www.dosomething.org
Adopt a Highway http://www.adoptahighway.com
Take Pride in America http://www.takepride.gov
Help Those in Need
Ideas for Community Service Projects and Activities
– give a homeless person a pair of socks
– give a homeless person food
– give a homeless person a blanket
– help habitat for humanity
– have a yard sale and donate proceeds to a homeless shelter
– buy a gift for a needy child at Christmas
– volunteer at a soup kitchen
Three excellent online resources to steer you to find ways to help those in need are:
Do Something.org http://www.dosomething.org
Habitat for Humanity http://www.habitat.org
Red Cross http://redcross.org
Help The Elderly
Ideas For Community Service Projects And Activities
– make a craft and give to an elderly person
– rake an elderly neighbor’s yard
– help an elderly person carry in groceries
– go to the store for an elderly person
– just spend some time talking to an elderly person
– Sing Christmas carols at for an elderly person close to Christmas
– pick flowers for an elderly person
An excellent online resource for helping the elderly is:
Meals on Wheels http://www.dontalmostgive.org/Volunteer/Seniors
Help Children
Ideas For Community Service Projects And Activities
– help children in your neighborhood do homework
– play with children at a local park
– help children complete a service project
– teach children how to play a game
– read to a child or group of children
An excellent online resource for helping children is:
Big Brothers Big Sisters http://www.bbbs.org/site
Book Resources
Arthur I. Blaustein Make a Difference: America’s Guide to Volunteering and Community Service.
Barbara A. Lewis The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect to Others (Near & Far) to Create Social Change.
Jenny Friedman The Busy Family’s Guide to Volunteering: Doing Good Together.
