Having your teen volunteer for social causes, will encourage him to be proactive in nature. It will also help him to become more responsible and build character. Understanding how to encourage your teen to volunteer is crucial for any parent.

The Benefit of Volunteering

Your teen needs to understand how volunteering for any work can benefit him and the people that he is about to help. Ideally, a teen should volunteer for activities that interest him. This will ensure that he is interested in the project and will be committed to seeing it through. The task at hand should build on the teen's talents and make apt use of them. For example, if your teen is good at painting and drawing and a non-government social organisation such as the local YMCA needs to promote an event or cause, he would be best suited to make posters for them.

Volunteering for social work helps your teen cure his boredom by utilising his idle time constructively. It will also help your teen relate to peers and gain new perspectives in life due to the interaction he will have with other people.

Volunteering for work helps a teen develop his social skills. He is forced to interact with other people and so, does not spend all his time engaged in self-centric activities. A teen who volunteers also get an opportunity to build his networking skills.

When a teen takes part in voluntary work, it helps him to improve his teamwork skills. Here he is able to be part of something that is bigger than himself. It will help him to develop pride in what he is doing, especially when he realises that his work has made a difference in contributing to the bigger picture.

The Time Requirement

Ensure that your teen has enough time on his hands to take up the work that he is volunteering for. It should not clash with other prior engagements and responsibilities such as your teen's studies. Should volunteering be something to do during the vacations or should it be part of a weekly routine? It depends on your teen's lifestyle. If volunteer work cramps your teen's lifestyle it is unlikely that he is going to enjoy doing the work.

Taking Initiative

Volunteer work doesn't necessarily mean joining a welfare organisation. Your teen can also volunteer in his school or college to help in maintenance or organising events. Alumni meets are a good example, where your teen can lend a hand by helping older alumni members.

Volunteer work could include taking classes in local primary schools. Such an effort will be well appreciated when the situation demands it. Existing teachers are over-stressed with enormous workloads and are always happy to share some of their burden for a short while. The subject should be chosen as per your teen's interests. For example, if your teen is a sports fan, why not let him try to take the schools sports class?

Voluntary work could also involve spreading awareness. This could include going to schools and giving talks on issues such as environmental issues or AIDS awareness. Such activities will help build your teen's presenting skills.

The Possibilities

Volunteer work is not only a great way to meet new people, but is also an excellent way to see new places as well. Organisations such as International Cultural Adventures will not only organise a trip to a foreign destination but will also ensure that your teen's visit is put to good use; he will garner an understanding of the local cultures, while helping out with social work at the same time. It is a great way to see the world and make a difference at the same time.