3 Easy Ways For High Schoolers Serve Others, Pandemic or Not!

With all that parents are worried about family, school, work, and pandemic, one thing I have noticed that may be a little lower on the radar is people need help to stay connected to and through service.  For high school students, this is a double whammy!!  They desperately need to stay connected to their people! Focusing on others is a great way to do just that. For college-bound high schoolers, how are universities going to view this time?  Will they be willing to look at students who have not done as much as students they have admitted in the past?  More than likely there will be concessions. However, why should service stop? I have a few ideas about how to address this issue in a way that benefits everyone, most importantly the communities that need our support. 

Today I am sharing a few ideas about how your children can continue to serve their community, remain connected to their peers, not lose a beat with building their resume’ for college admissions and perhaps change their lives.

When our children are in high school, clubs and organizations usually offer the structure needed to serve as a group.  In addition to making a difference in the community receiving support, the high schoolers are also able to learn how to do new things, and as a bonus build their resume’ at the same time.   Plus, there is every possibility that something your children learn or are exposed to can change their life as well. 

When the volunteer groups do not have the structure that school provides, what can your high schoolers do?  Why not do some things on their own or with a small group of friends?  How?  Well I am so glad you asked, but before you jump in, take a little time to determine a few things: 

·         How much time does everyone have to give to the project?

·         What talents do the individuals have that can be put to best use?

·         Who is going to lead the project?

·         What is the time table for completion?

. Will the project be ongoing or is this a one and done?

Service projects help your children continue to serve their community, remain connected to their peers, and perhaps change lives.

Once that is figured out, perhaps one of these ideas would be a great way to get started.

1.       Donation drive. 

·         Brainstorm a few organizations in the area that perhaps your family normally supports, or check with local churches for suggestions.  A few that come to mind are animal shelters, food banks, women’s shelters, natural disaster support, you get the idea.  

·         Have your children do research; look on websites, make a few calls or send email to find out which supplies these groups need.  Perhaps the organization has some ideas.

·         Select which group to support and what can be done to support the organization. 

·         Make a list of who, what, where, when, why, and how; and make a plan answering those questions.

·         Then implement the plan.  Get the word out!  Use email and social media to announce what is being done.  Promote the idea across multiple platforms.  Designate a drop off date, place, time, and determine how to deliver everything to the organization.

·         Be sure to take photos and notes about how the drive went.  Share the results on social media.  Be sure and thank everyone that helped. 

·         Also ask your children questions about what they learned.  They may realize that they want to pursue working in nonprofits or marketing or advertising from this experience. 

2.        Offer services – go back to the talents list.  What services can be offered to tutor other students, peers, or younger via FaceTime or Zoom for free?   Again using the tools at hand figure out what they could help with, create some kind of announcement on social media, neighborhood networks, or websites.  Perhaps use sign up genius or some other free online tool to provide a schedule, let teachers know, and get going.  

3.       Outreach – Be a pen pal, electronic, or paper with the elderly - Zoom or FaceTime calls to those who cannot get out.  Many of our elderly are shut in their facilities or their homes for fear of contracting CoVid. Depression from isolation is very real. Phone calls or FaceTime calls can do a lot to lift their spirits.  If your student would not know what to say, encourage them to talk to them like they would their own grandparents.  Ask questions, like what they liked to do when they were in high school.  They might find they have a lot in common.

I hope these ideas helped you see how you can help your high schooler incorporate volunteer work into their schedule even during a pandemic.   The hardest part is getting started!  Please take a moment and let me know what you think!!  Just leave a review in the box below!

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