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HDBK
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Ignite youth volunterism
July 1, 2007 - 11:27 PM
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Do you have any suggestion on how to recruit committed and loyal teenagers (ages 13 to 19) for volunteer work?
What works and what does not in your country?
This post was edited on: 2007-07-03 at 09:45 AM by: HDBK
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Becky
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Re: Ignite volunterism
July 1, 2007 - 11:54 PM
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I would think the first priority would be to find a cause to which they can relate or about which they are passionate. Perhaps you can informally "poll" teens in your area and see what issues interest them. Sometimes, they have very definite opinions and causes to support. Perhaps you can form a "teen action group" devoted to developing and implementing volunteer projects. If they have a say in what projects go forward, they are more likely to be involved.
Keep in mind that word of mouth works best among teens. If you get a few really devoted and energetic people to start out and they spread the word, then, your numbers will grow.
As a last resort, you can always offer free food and dancing  That always brings them in!!
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Sandy Mae
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Re: Ignite volunterism
July 2, 2007 - 06:51 AM
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I think one of the difficulties involving young people today is their lack of patience. They always want things to happen fast, now. Plus, most of them easily get bored.
I agree with the previous entry. You should try to inject some youthful element (ie, dancing) in order to spark their interest. More importantly, I think that you should give them more responsibilities in your project so that they will feel needed and important. This will also encourage them to participate in similar activities.
Whoa, I think I missed the topic here. In order to encourage young people to join, try appealing to their emotions. Give them the "drastic facts" and show them what they can do to change those facts.
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Issatayva Ainam
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Re: Ignite volunterism
July 2, 2007 - 07:46 AM
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I live in Kazahkstan and my country hasn't voluntary work, but i would like to torture this. I'm just 16 years old. I would like to know is this ork free or not.
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Sam Mjalli
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
August 30, 2007 - 05:31 PM
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The problem with people, specifically the people in my country, is that unless what's happening some how directly affects them or someone they are close to, they just don't care. Believe me, I've tried to begin a youth movement before and it became plain to me that most people are more interested in screwing and getting stoned to actually give a damn about anything else. The reason any great revolution or movement has taken place was because of some event or decision that affected EVERYONE. In the 60's, the reason for all that protesting was because of the draft that had been put into action. It's the same with any other uprising. movement in history. The best way to get people moving about something, is to wait for something to happen that affects them enough to get up and do something about it. I'm not saying that we should give up for now; it's important to continue, it's all we can do. I'm simply saying that it's very difficult if not impossible to get a large enough group of teenagers to organize and accomplish anything. I suppose the same is true with adults. The old feel helpless and have to much to lose while the young don't care. If I sound pessimistic, I'm not. I continue trying to make something happen. It just doesn't seem to work right now.
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Roy Kramp
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
August 31, 2007 - 06:42 AM
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Bit of a defeatist attitude there old boy.
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Sam Mjalli
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
September 1, 2007 - 10:42 AM
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haha, I guess you could call it that but i don't think so. All I do is recognize the problems standing in mine and everyone's way but I push on anyway, ignoring them. I think that's all we can really do, no matter what happens or what seemingly insurmountable barrier seems to be in our way, we have to keep trying. That's the key to making a difference.
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Raine
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
September 5, 2007 - 11:39 PM
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begining young is best. teenagers can be seet in their ways but younger kids are far more openminded.
other than that, i would suggest finding out what they are interested in and going from there. kids who like animals might like volunteering in a no kill shelter or training therapy dogs. people who like history might like volunteering at a museum or even a care home. those who like to buid could work for Habitat for Humanity. also, lead by example. give a presentation on the volunteer work you have done with lots of pictures. i still remember a 6th grade presentation by a volunteer from Belize.
try offering incentives too. free pizza is a draw in itself. extra credit or an after-project party could also help. try advertising and make the fliers interesting. make sure a first timer gets assigned to a more interesting part of the project. once you get them hooked, then they can take on the tuffer stuff.
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Travis Taylor
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Appeal to Self-interest
September 25, 2007 - 04:34 PM
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People are motivated by a number of things, but you can generalize most of these desires into a general category of wanting to be liked by other people.
People should be motivated to volunteer because from a personal level. I that sounds a bit callous, but lets be honest: true altruism is incredibly rare. Even if people are not acting for a paycheck there are numerous social perks to volunteering.
The big benifiets include:
1.Resume boosting
2. Making good connections for future business
3. The personal "feel-goodness"
Target groups of people that are stereotyped as likely to volunteer.
Let me give an example:
I have an internship with an international volunteer placement agency [link="http://www.volunteervisions.org"]
We are looking for more volunteers in college so we go to the following clubs and advertise our correlating projects.
• Habitat for Humanities (Construction in Peru)
• Tutoring Groups (Teaching in Costa Rica)
• International Relations Classes (Urban Development in Ecuador)
• Pre-Med societies (Healthcare trips in Africa)
• Environmental Awareness Groups (Turtle/Wildlife Conservation and Ecological Farming throughout the world)
It is all about finding the right audience and forming a personal connection with the prospective volunteers, knowing what they want and offering that to them.
I (Travis Taylor) am writing this article from a personal point of view and do no represent my organization [link="http://www.volunteervisions.org"]
Feel free to email me at socialnet@volunteervisions.org to defend the natural good of mankind or to ask about our projects.
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marian cox
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
October 23, 2007 - 02:40 PM
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one of the key things too is to know a few kids who have an in with groups of other kids you don't. they can spread your word of passionate need for volunteers in a way that maybe you can't. A few minds collaborating never hurt anybody. 
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Brigid
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Re: Ignite youth volunterism
October 24, 2007 - 07:25 AM
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I think it's best to go through schools. My school has a lot of connections with volunteer programs, we have awards for community service (might take away from the point but at least it's getting us involved) and we have classes and co-curiculum activities dedicated to volunteer work. Almost every student at my school has at some point volunteered because it has been made so easy for us to be able to.
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