Youth community service programs are a fantastic way to spread good deeds to the community while letting students enjoy some time outside of school. Depending on where your group is, you may have more options for working with non-profit organizations, but there are always ways to serve others in the community, with or without an organization’s help. Check out these simple yet beneficial ways to serve your community!
Volunteer Activities for Youth
Encouraging youth to volunteer and serve their community is great for building character and teaching young students to show respect and love for those around them.
Choose a Local Non-Profit Organization
If you live in an area that benefits from organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Red Cross, and other community-serving entities, it’s easy to contact them and ask what help they need. Other options to consider are soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and women’s shelters. Some of these organizations lack the funds to market themselves and require some research to discover and make contact.
Other community service projects to help local non-profit organizations might include:
- Reading to residents at a nursing home
- Delivering gifts to patients at a local hospital
- Collecting baby clothes and supplies to donate to new parents
- Collecting and donating non-perishable food items
Nature and Environmental Volunteering Opportunities
If your group is interested in caring for animals and the environment, check out local animal shelters, nature preserves, and national forests. Contact the people in charge and find out what young people can do to benefit the community’s natural areas and animals.
Some ideas for self-starter volunteering opportunities that benefit animals and the environment might include:
- Cleaning up trash at a local park
- Offering to walk or care for neighborhood pets
- Sponsoring an area of a nature preserve or forest
- Organizing local carpool locations to help reduce car emissions
- Volunteering at a nature camp to teach younger children about the environment
Find Volunteer Opportunities Near You
Helping Older Members of the Community
Not all volunteer projects need to benefit the homeless or animals. Older people in the community could use a friendly face and a helping hand. Contact a local nursing home or church to determine whether any residents could benefit from your group’s time and effort.
Here are some ideas for a group interested in volunteering their time to benefit older members of their community:
- Delivering groceries and meals
- Teaching computer and technology skills
- Hosting a bingo night at a nursing home
- Making birthday cards
- Performing a concert or play at a senior center
- Raking leaves, shoveling snow, or washing windows
Read More: Out of School Ideas
Have some other creative ideas of how young people can benefit their communities after school and on weekends?
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