Work with youth volunteers

The Corporation for National and Community Service released a study on youth volunteers in November 2005, indicating that 55% of people in the US engaged in volunteering were between the ages of 12 and 18 (15.5 million youth). These young people are volunteering at almost twice the rate of the adult population, which was reported to be 29% in the 2005 US Bureau of Labor Statistics Report. Empower youth and increase your organization's capacity by including youth as volunteers. Youth are the untapped resource in volunteerism. Studies show that they want to volunteer. They want to learn new skills. They want to help out in the community. Plus, they provide a fresh perspective and lots of energy. While young people can bring special skills and energy to your agency, they also bring some unique goals and needs.

The Youth Outreach Program helps nonprofits work with youth volunteers, create partnerships with schools and youth development organizations, and promote service l earning. If you are interested in building your existing youth volunteer program, or starting from scratch, check out TVC's up-coming Thinking Young: Working with Youth Volunteers Workshop. Plus, bellow you'll find various resources on how your organization can work with youth volunteers:

• Tapping Youth Volunteer Potential
• Steps to Service Learning
• Risk Management
• Service Learning Links