By Hillary Kleeb, Restoration Coordinator, Friends of the Hylebos
Middle school and high school students often have community service requirements as part of their school year.
Finding appropriate service work and meeting school deadlines can be challenging, but parents can help their kids minimize the stress and complete this assignment successfully. Here is a little advice from a volunteer coordinator on how to get the hours done — and do some good for your community while you’re at it.
• Plan ahead. Spend some time at the beginning of the school year talking with your child about what kinds of activities to do. Discuss if your child wants to do something on a regular basis or drop in on an event once in a while. There are benefits to both. A regular volunteer commitment teaches your children to be reliable and responsible and can help them to get their first job. Working at an event can earn a lot of service learning hours at once if your child has a busy school week.
• Make sure your child addresses community service early in the school year. The later they act, the more limited the options will be. Volunteer coordinators receive a lot of e-mails from students and parents at the end of the school year, and may not always have enough work to meet the surge of demand. This may mean you will need to look outside your local community for volunteer options and travel farther.
• View the service requirement as an opportunity to spend time with your child. Many organizations require children under age 16 to have a parent or guardian with them. It is very challenging for a volunteer coordinator to manage a group of people, especially if a number of them are young teenagers without parental supervision.
• If your child is under age 16, you should plan on doing service with your child. Look for opportunities that the two of you would enjoy doing together, but let your child be the one to make the decisions about the type of activity you do. Remember, this is your child’s service learning, and is intended to broaden his/her horizons.
• Find activities that are meaningful. If you are volunteering in an area that interests your child, the service requirements will stimulate a lot of growth and learning. These activities can also help them to build the skills necessary for getting a job as they get older. If your child is older, an unpaid internship can satisfy service requirements and get them experience in a field they may want to work in later.
Ideas
• Does your child enjoy being outdoors or have an interest in the environment? There are lots of local environmental opportunities with Friends of the Hylebos.
• Does your child love animals? If so, you can volunteer for the local animal shelter as a dog walker or a kitty cuddler.
• Is your child interested in health issues? The American Red Cross has many volunteer opportunities, some of which are for teens.
• If your child is social and people-oriented, consider volunteering with the elderly, who may need assistance with some daily tasks or errand-running. Sometimes they just want someone to take fishing, or play a game of chess.
There are a number of Web sites that can match volunteers with volunteer positions, based on the search criteria that you enter. Be aware that not all non-profits looking for volunteers may use these Web sites. Check with local non-profits in your area:
• United Way of King or Pierce counties
Be prepared for your volunteer work
Occasionally, you may need to bring something with you, or wear specific clothing. Ask questions of your volunteer coordinator ahead of time if you are uncertain. Know ahead of time that you will have to sign a liability waiver for yourself and your child. Some volunteer jobs require a background check if you are working with people, especially a vulnerable population. If English is not your native language, ask your child to translate anything that you will need to understand before you get there, so that you can be prepared to work along with your child.
Have a positive attitude
There is a saying among volunteer coordinators that when someone begins volunteering in high school, you have a volunteer for life. This is not necessarily true now that volunteering is a requirement. But, when children volunteer with their parents in activities that are meaningful, and the parents are enthusiastic about the service and impact to the community, it is possible to foster a lifelong ethic of service from a school requirement.
