A comprehensive guide to the six fields of service most open to teen participation: education, environment, health care, the needy, politics, and substance abuse.

"This year, over ten million people will go abroad, eager to find the perfect blend of adventure and altruism. Volunteer travel can help you find your place in the world--and find out what you're made of. So why do so many international volunteer programs fail to make an impact? Why do some do more harm than good? Learning Service offers a powerful new approach that invites volunteers to learn from host communities before trying to 'help' them. It's also a thoughtful critique of the sinister side of volunteer travel; a guide for turning good intentions into effective results; and essential advice on how to make the most of your experience."--Amazon.com.

"One of those benefits is that volunteers make peoples' lives better. And a second benefit is self-directed: people who help others help themselves. Volunteers feel personal satisfaction when they see how their efforts are making the world a better place. This is a powerful tool for reducing stress, combating depression, and providing a sense of purpose.Volunteer work can be challenging but those who tackle problems or aid strangers meet like-minded people of all ages from a wide variety of backgrounds. This reduces feelings of loneliness. It can also help you widen your social circle beyond you immediate family while forming bonds that last a lifetime"--

Volunteering: Insights and Tips for Teenagers provides a complete guide to the world of volunteerism. It shows you how to become engaged in what will be among the most gratifying and worthwhile experiences of your life. In this book you’ll learn why volunteerism is so important both to volunteers themselves and to those they serve and explore different types of volunteer opportunities and how to find and secure a rewarding volunteer placement. With advice from professionals and first-hand accounts from teen volunteers, including a fifteen-year-old girl who started a foundation that now helps hundreds of new parents, this book will help you make the most of your volunteer experience. You will learn how to research volunteer opportunities what to expect from the application, interview, and orientation process how to be a successful volunteer how to handle unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations and how to ask for help, and how you can use what you learn as a volunteer to create new academic or career opportunities. With helpful tips for success and a resource list of volunteer opportunities, this book provides everything you need to understand the vital and vibrant world of volunteerism.

An essential guide for volunteer leaders and staff of professional, trade and charitable organizations. Outlines 12 basic needs of volunteers in membership associations and clearly explains how to meet those needs. Rich with examples and useful tools, this book is a quick read that you will reference again and again.