With summer camps canceled and jobs for local teens scarce, a lot of Alexandria parents are wondering what to do with their bored children.
This is a great time to volunteer!
Volunteer Alexandria, a local nonprofit organization, serves as a link between individuals of all ages, groups and the Alexandria nonprofit organizations in need of support.
Some tasks are short-term and only need a few hours of work, while other volunteering projects are ongoing. This is a great way to get a jump start on needed volunteer hours to meet middle school and high school graduation projects.
Youth volunteerism has many benefits. According to Volunteer Alexandria:
- Children and youth develop compassion as they learn the value of giving to others.
- They learn to recognize and appreciate the goodness in their own lives.
- Volunteering encourages children to do things they're good at, as well as things they want to learn about.
- Moving beyond their comfort zone and learning new skills encourages self-confidence.
- Teamwork, cooperation, tolerance and problem solving help them to cope with the daily challenges they encounter in their own lives.
- Volunteering provides an opportunity to meet a range of different people from totally different backgrounds, and to make new friends.
Volunteer Alexandria is introducing a new newsletter that will focus entirely on youth and family volunteer efforts. Each month will include a new topic providing tools, volunteer opportunities, and tips on how the youth and families can get engaged in their community. (Sign up here.)
If you're ready to start right now, explore opportunities with Volunteer Alexandria here.
