The Benefits to Volunteering at a Young Age

Volunteering is beneficial at any age, but especially as a kid. Starting to volunteer younger gets kids actually interested in volunteering and it helps them feel like they are a part of a real community.

Helping Others

When you volunteer you become a resource not only for individuals but your community as a whole. Volunteering has a large positive impact on your community as well as yourself. A way to help is to provide organizations with people or money, both which are very impactful. Volunteer organizations , non-profits, etc. cannot run without appropriate resources, so by volunteering you are donating your time and money into helping people around you, and helping these organizations run. You can also help your community on your own (or with a friend). Participating in small activities such as a trash pick up or filling a community fridge still brings a great impact to your community.

Exposure and Fulfillment

Volunteering as a habit with family in your community is very powerful. Engaging in activities weekly or even monthly can make kids more aware of issues around them, and can be used as a starting point in talking about these important issues. Volunteering gives kids a whole new perspective about their community, and a perspective that makes kids want to help others around them and feel good about helping those people and communities. It makes kids want to help their community and it shows how you can solve the issue for today. It starts a practice and encourages kids to think about how they can help their community with or without prompting.

Developing Skills

When volunteering you are gaining skills that you can use when you are older. This can be specific to the exact type of volunteer work you are doing, or more broad, like being held accountable, learning how to follow instructions, and the importance of helping. Volunteering can be a good way to get kids introduced to these life skills, helping them for the rest of their lives.

Academics

Volunteering can also benefit you academically. When starting to volunteer as a kid you are creating a habit and respect for volunteering, which will continue later in life. When volunteering as a teenager, you are building your resume and increasing your chances of getting into good schools. You not only are impressing admissions officials, but you are strengthening your support network and ability to get recommendation letters, job applications, etc. There are also many scholarships you can receive from volunteering, and you will be able to easily complete volunteer requirements from school.