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Teens and Volunteer Work

© Terrie Lynn Bittner

I've always found mandatory volunteer work, all the rage in schools now, to be a fascinating joke. Surely educated people know that they are using an oxymoron. If it is mandatory, whether to graduate or to meet the demands of a college application, it is not voluntary. Even worse, it takes away the value of volunteer work.

Doing the work to meet a requirement does not teach teens to serve others. They are getting paid for the work and it does no more for them than would a paid job. To receive the full benefits of volunteer work, teens must donate their time with no expectation of payment.

Volunteer work helps to send a teen into the adult world as a full participant. It teaches responsibility, helps them to look beyond their own world into that of another, and increases self- esteem. Along the way, it can provide job skills or hobbies, but that should not be the primary motivation.

The sooner you start children on the path of volunteerism, the more likely they are to spend the rest of their lives doing it. If you have younger children, look for ways to let them serve others, both in the home and in the community. My parents always had us leave a place cleaner than we found it. After every picnic, we picked up our own trash, and the trash left behind by others. We developed a scorn for those who did not care about the environment. They would make little comments that showed us where service might be needed: "Mr. Brown just had surgery. It would be nice if someone [Read: You, for example] mowed his lawn for him." "Oh, you let them pay you for that? Given the circumstances, I assumed you were donating your time." (You can be certain I did after that!) "Mrs. Carter mentioned her daughter is having a hard time learning to read, but they can't afford a tutor right now, with the medical bills they have." (This meant: "Offer to tutor.") Beyond the words, my family always demonstrated what was expected. My grandmother went to check on her elderly neighbor every day, shopping, straightening up, bringing over a little treat for her. My aunt invited those with nowhere to go for holiday dinners. My parents made note of whatever needs older neighbors had and took care of them. We grew up knowing that service was a part of any life worth living.