Volunteering amongst High School students has reached the highest levels in the past 50 years.
Research has shown that those people who have volunteered when they are young , and who have seen their parents volunteer, become the most generous adults for charitable and philanthropic causes.
Why Is It Important for Youth to Volunteer? Youth who volunteer are twice as likely to volunteer as adults.
The Independent Sector, a leading organization doing research on charity and philanthropy in the United States, has shown that 6 out of 10 volunteers, started volunteering by age 14.
When surveyed, 70% of teens that volunteer reported that volunteering gave them a new perspective on community issues.
Volunteering not only creates engaged young citizens.
As a result of their volunteer efforts, teens report doing better in school, improved grades, developing new career goals and of learning about new career options.
Other significant benefits of youth volunteerism include: -Learning how to respect others -Learning how to be helpful and kind -Understanding people who are different from themselves -Developing leadership skills -Becoming more patient -Understanding the qualities of good citizenship.
From their volunteer experiences teens learn: -How to solve community problems -Enhanced understanding of good citizenship -To became more aware of community programs -More about how government and voluntary organizations work.
Adults who began volunteering as youth, are twice as likely to volunteer, as compared to those who did not volunteer when they were younger.
Today, 44% of adults volunteer.
Of these adult volunteers, 2/3 of these volunteers began volunteering when they were young.
Encourage a young person to get involved in the community today! Note: Statistics obtained from Independent Sector,a leading organization doing research on charity and philanthropy in the United States.
Visit their website at http://www.
independentsector.
org