The Benefits of Volunteering for Teens and High School Students!

As a high school student, one of the requirements for graduation is the completion of a certain number of volunteer hours. While this number differs per province (for instance, Ontario mandates 40 hours while and BC mandates 30), the requirement offers the chance for all students to engage in Formal and Informal Volunteering.

As the name suggests, informal volunteering is casual, unpaid, and done on an individual basis. It involves using your skills and time to assist your neighbours, friends, and other members of your community who are not relatives. Common examples include snow shovelling, babysitting, tutoring, grocery shopping, etc. Formal Volunteering, on the other hand, is a much more structured process. It involves giving unpaid assistance to a cause/community/project/event through a non-profit group, a club, or an organization.

Both types of volunteering are important. While there is nothing wrong with volunteering time around the neighbourhood, completing the entirety of your hours without any formal volunteering experience is a missed opportunity. To get the best out of your community service requirement, you should consider spending time at a non-profit or charity. The benefits of this are numerous. As you map out how to tackle your 30 (or 40) hours, consider a formal volunteering position!

Benefits of Formal Volunteering

Reason number one for pursuing a formal volunteer experience is pretty straightforward. Supplementing your service hours with a formal volunteer role allows for personal development. This personal development manifests in a number of ways. For one, it reinforces civic responsibility providing volunteers with a greater sense of belonging and connection. This improves social awareness and promotes empathy among volunteers. Research shows that volunteering (particularly in civic or faith-based roles) is great for identity exploration and facilitates better social and emotional development. For instance, students who volunteer report lower levels of depression than those who do not.

Volunteering within an organization may also help to improve self-confidence. To effectively help others and meet the goals of an organization, volunteers learn to be better communicators, time-managers, leaders, and problem solvers. Acquiring these new skills improves competence which helps the volunteer’s self-esteem and self-confidence. For many of us, it will be the first time we step into a formal work environment. Volunteering offers a safe space to explore our interests, passions, and talents.

And what exactly are your interests? Your passions? Your strengths and weaknesses? If you don’t already know, volunteering can help you figure this out! And even if you already do, volunteering at a community event, festival, action project, fundraiser, etc., can help you grow your talents as well as discover new ones.

It is also an opportunity to learn and socialize. As a volunteer, you are given the chance to walk into different communities fostering relationships with community leaders and people from different walks of life. It is a treasured chance to learn more about communities different from your own and gain day-to-day insight into the work done in these communities. Research shows that the knowledge gained from these experiences aids in civic development and improves civic engagement later in life.

Formal Volunteering helps with academic and professional development. Volunteering gives youth a sense of purpose with researchers finding positive correlations between volunteering and educational achievement. Beyond grades, a formal volunteer experience is a stellar addition to your university or college application. It not only makes you a more competitive candidate for admission (volunteer hours demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm for your field of study), but it also opens the doors to scholarships, bursaries, and grants. In the long run, volunteering is also a great way to gain experience and build connections. When seeking internships, research positions, and student leadership, the experience gained from volunteering improves your general employability. It strengthens your resume, providing the key skills, experience, and networks necessary to advance in your future career.

Finding a Volunteer Position

There are so many ways to get involved. Before you begin, make sure to familiarize yourself with the list of eligible (and ineligible activities) for your school board. For instance, this is the list from the Toronto District School Board.

Next, find a volunteer opportunity. Online volunteer platforms, such as Volunteer Success, have made searching for a volunteer role much easier. With Volunteer Success, for instance, you have access to volunteer opportunities as well as mission statements, values, and role descriptions from different organizations available on the same page. 

Volunteer Success makes it easy for youth to find a suitable volunteer opportunity. Just visit our Opportunities page and click on Student to filter opportunities that accept volunteers under 18 years of age.

Lastly….some tips on Professional Development

As we have established, volunteering experience can give you a leg up in student elections, research positions, and internships. Basically, volunteering is great for increasing your chances of being hired in the future. But what about the present? Depending on your age, obtaining roles in nonprofits and charities can be a formidable process.

So here are five tips to make it easier on yourself!

1. Start small: It is the curse of youth to always fight to be taken seriously. But the truth is volunteering is a pretty big responsibility. The organization may want proof that you are willing and able to handle said responsibility. Regularly volunteering at an organization's events, i.e. clothing drives, fundraisers, is one way to show your dedication and work your way up to a fixed role. Plus, these types of events are typically held on weekends and evenings, making it convenient for you to sign-up.

2. First, choose what you like: Organizations like people who like to stick around. Do you plan to stick around? It's admittedly hard to know this with your first volunteer opportunity (There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, I encourage you to explore different opportunities when starting out. Don’t feel pressured at all to stay in one place!) When you have an idea of what your interests are, it's a lot easier to picture yourself giving more than the odd weekend or two.

3. Find the Youth: There are a multitude of youth-led organizations around your province that would love your help. In fact, you’re their very target! Find one that suits your interests and be a part of something bigger than yourself.

4. Emphasize your skills: You have a unique skill set that you can bring into the organization that you probably haven't even thought about. Think about what you can do to help the organization's goals and emphasize this when you apply. Also, as a teenager, you are likely up-to-date on the latest trends. Showcase to the organization how valuable your social media acumen (yes acumen!) can be to their promotional activities.

5. Be Prepared for Rejection: You are not going to be accepted everywhere and that can be confusing when all you want to do is to volunteer. It is important that you still see this as an opportunity for growth. Respond by letting them know that if they ever need someone, you are available. This not only demonstrates your maturity but it shows that you are serious and sincere about the volunteer position. While it won’t get you the role right away, it leaves the door open for future opportunities down the line.

Want to learn more? Check out the full Guide for Youth Volunteering here.