ONTARIO
Volunteers are the foundation of a community. Youth are the future of a community.
One of the most beneficial actions a community can take is to promote the many benefits of volunteering to youth, to assure a strong future for our city. Volunteering benefits youth in many ways, from allowing skill development to the forming of many new friendships.
My name is Brittney and I began volunteering in Grade 9, when I was striving only to collect my 40 hours of community service that is mandatory to graduate. Donating my time was then something I had to do and not something I wanted to do. I started with annual events such as the Lung Association's Pull for Kids, Relay for Life and the Quinte Ribfest. Eventually I found myself enjoying helping out with these events, and volunteer despite the completion of my community service hours. I discovered how fulfilling and beneficial volunteering can be and am now an enthusiastic, active volunteer in my community. Currently, I am attempting to spread my enthusiasm in volunteering to my fellow high school students while working on the Change the World Youth Volunteer Challenge. The project will challenge Ontario youth to complete three hours of community service beginning National Volunteer Week, April 17-May 8. This can be done individually, with their class, or with friends. As both a school representative and a member of the Youth Advisory Committee for the challenge, I assist by creating events I believe will show my peers they can enjoy themselves while volunteering, and connect them to an event they can complete their three hours at.
One of the reasons I believe most students do not continue to volunteer after their hours are completed is because they see it as a chore and not something they want to do. When I began volunteering I picked an event that appealed to me; that I could benefit from and sounded interesting to me. I chose to volunteer in areas involving children, as I was considering a career in that area. This is when I discovered that I have a passion for helping others and understanding social interaction, which eventually led to my decision to become a teacher. If I could match my peers with something they also enjoyed, whether it involves their friends or a certain hobby or interest they have, they will also enjoy themselves and possibly decide to make volunteering a part of their future. The Change the World Youth Volunteer Challenge is an opportunity for my fellow student representatives and I, to use our experience in volunteering to create a generation of future volunteers.
Volunteer opportunities to choose from this week include:
Volunteer & Information Quinte refers volunteers to more than 150 agencies throughout Hastings and Prince Edward counties. We are currently recruiting volunteers to fulfill the needs of our community
Breanda Snider
17 February 2010
