If you are a young person, there are many good reasons to get involved in volunteer and service learning opportunities. Here are a few for you to consider:

1. Volunteering can help you to explore your interests.
If you like animals, help out at an animal shelter or at your nearest zoo.
If you like working with kids, get involved at a summer camp or at a preschool program, or help younger students with their schoolwork.
If you enjoy playing sports, play games with the kids at a neighborhood center.
If you like to cook, get together with friends and make dinner for the families at a soup kitchen or help out at a homeless shelter.

2. Volunteering can help you learn about possible careers.
If you think you’d like to work in the medical field, volunteer at a retirement or nursing home or with Hospice.
If you’re interested in teaching, spend time with younger children, helping them with their homework.
If you’re interested in science, consider volunteering at your local science museum or greenhouse.
If you’d like a job in an office someday, offer to help with filing and data entry at a nonprofit organization.

3. You can meet people you might not ordinarily meet.
By volunteering in a group, you’ll meet other people with the same interests you have.
If your grandparents have passed away or live far away and you don’t get to see them often, you can become friends with a senior adult and adopt them as your “grandma” or “grandpa.”
By volunteering with an agency that helps refugees, you can meet people who have come here from other countries. You’ll learn about their culture and help them adapt to life here.
By volunteering with an agency that works with people with physical or mental challenges, you’ll find out that they’re not so different from you after all.

4. Volunteer activities add value to college applications and work resumes.
College admission staffs want to know who you are as a person. They’re looking for well-rounded individuals who will give their best both within and outside the classroom.
Potential employers want to know if you show up on time, can take direction, are responsible, and work well with others. A good reference from an agency you’ve volunteered with can help them decide that you’d be a good employee.