Teens: 3 Reasons to Volunteer this Summer

It’s not just college students competing for fewer jobs. For a while now, high school students here in Connecticut, and elsewhere, have been vying for a smaller pool of summer jobs. While summer jobs can be sometimes hard to come by, high schoolers stand to gain big from volunteer work.

We’re big fans of high school volunteering. We’ve seen firsthand the powerful and positive impact it has on both volunteers and nonprofits. Last week we were thrilled to participate in the annual Youth Job Fair at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport. It was so inpsiring to talk to some of the hundreds of kids looking for jobs about the benefits of building volunteering into their skill set.

We hope you join them because you really do have the power to help your community and make a difference. Plus, here are 3 reasons that may help you as well:  

EXPERIENCE:

We’ve said before that everybody at a nonprofit agency plays an integral role. That means volunteers, too! Sometimes you can gain the same experience that you would at a corporate internship and we encourage you to treat it like one. Arrive on time. Be prepared. Be flexible. (Read more here on what to pack in your Volunteer Prep Kit!)

For some, volunteering may be your first exposure to an office setting and we encourage you to learn as much as you can. The more you learn now about what fields interest you, the better off you will be when it comes to choosing a college, declaring a major, pursuing a particular career, and maybe even deciding on more advanced volunteer opportunities in the future.

NETWORK :

Get to know the people you’re volunteering with. They have a lot of life and work experience that may be able to help guide you through your career thought process. Ask them questions! Most will be more than happy to share their experience with you. Remember, just because you’re not getting paid doesn’t mean you’re not a part of the team!

REFERENCES:

If you heed our advice and treat your volunteer work as important as paid work (and trust us, it is!), you will hopefully build strong relationships with the people you encounter at your nonprofit of choice. If you treat your volunteer work seriously and work hard, they can be powerful allies in the form of references when it comes to applying for a paying job. 

One caveat for high school volunteers, some volunteer opportunities for 18+ and unders can sometimes be hard to come by. Make sure you ask about age requirements specifically before you start narrowing down your options.

Get started today at VolunteerSquare.com. Be sure to sign up today for a free account and we’ll help you find the summer volunteer opportunity here in Connecticut that works for you.