Tips For High School Volunteering

It’s not at all unusual for high schoolers to volunteer their time in their community. It’s a great way to contribute positively to the world, not to mention meet new people and explore career options. And of course it also looks great on a college application. But there can be so much more to volunteering than most people realize.

Just looking at the federal government, there are a great many volunteer possibilities. You can receive disaster training from FEMA, or at your local VA, or even with the Secret Service. There’s a handy search engine to help find opportunities.

Many professional associations, such as the American Dental Association or the many medical associations related to faith, speciality or local community, have opportunities. You can volunteer with architects, or animal shelters, or banks.

The best advice is to think about personal interests, career interests, or just plain values and worldview, and search for volunteer opportunities based on those criteria. Search and search again -- you might just find something wonderful!