What is the most effective way to encourage teens to participate in volunteering?
To “encourage” teens or anyone to volunteer: the folks organizing the activity MUST, MUST, MUST have folks of influence working right along with and next to the teens. NOT JUST for the first few weeks, BUT each and every week there has to be someone there who they can relate with and be one of their “idols” or “role models”. THEN those “idols” or “role models” g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y stop showing up and go about their own business. The teens THINK they are working on another aspect of that project and (hopefully) continue THEIR volunteer work. “Holding a gun to anyone’s head” – making a person “volunteer” – doesn’t do a darn thing except alienate that person from that activity. I volunteer at a rehab hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Local celebs, politicians and folks of affluence come into the hospital ALL the time, donating their time and money. Many of hose same folks are featured on the evening news on a pretty regular basis. BUT for some reason, the general public just cannot or will not “
