Meaningful Volunteer Experience for Teens

Today we are seeing greater numbers of youth becoming involved in volunteering in their communities. According to a University of Nevada report by Molly Latham, young people are increasingly seeking out opportunities to improve the world by volunteering their service to projects they deem to be important.

This leads us to ask the question ‘what are the benefits of youth volunteerism?’
Erin Courtenay, GVN Communications Coordinator and Ex Vietnam Volunteer says GVN often receives enquiries from teens wanting to take part in a volunteer placement but up until now they have had to turn them away until they turn 18. With the introduction of the new Youth Tour in Vietnam teens aged 15-17 years old will have the opportunity take part in a rewarding and challenging volunteer program.

“The idea behind the youth tour is to enable teens to experience one of our volunteer projects in a supportive and secure environment. We want to introduce them to and give them a taste for the wonders of volunteering and fundraising at a young age in the hope that this is something they will continue to contribute to as they become adults.”

The University of Nevada report explains that teens say the benefits received from volunteering are: learning to respect others; learning to be helpful and kind; learning to understand people who are different; developing leadership skills, becoming more patient, and better understanding of citizenship. Further, youth who volunteer are more likely to do well in school, graduate and vote.

A further report by Maria R. T. de Guzman at the University of Nebraska suggests that youth volunteerism contributes to identity development, enhancement of skills, increased self-esteem, and the development of empathy for others.

Amanda Corwin, a GVN volunteer, is currently in Peru volunteering with her teenage daughter. “So far, I think the biggest thing that she has learned is that in many parts of the world life is very difficult. We are working in a village where there is no running water or electricity, as well as other problems. [Morgan] loves the kids and has a better understanding of their difficulties. I brought my other daughter to volunteer in Tanzania for a month also through GVN. At the time she was 17. She loved it so much that she deferred her freshman year of college this year and volunteered for 6 months in Uganda and Ethiopia. After Tanzania, she came back a more confident person because she had to teach art and English, as well as giving her the perspective of the world rather than just our home town. She had a very different outlook on life than anyone in her grade could ever imagine. More currently, she was given a $10,000 scholarship to the university that she will be attending this fall because of her volunteering experience.”

The Vietnam Youth Tour provides enormous benefits to both the volunteer and the local community. Participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in another culture and location whilst helping a community in need and in return the community benefits from having caring volunteers provide love, affection and education.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about this opportunity please visit our website or contact GVN today: http://www.volunteer.org.nz/youth_tour/vietnam/