Student Contributor -L. Brown
Youth United is a state/local organization dedicated to giving students of various ages opportunities to be able to volunteer in their community. Their student volunteer opportunities include ways for students to earn points in their system to get things. This is, in a way, is a reward system set by hours done volunteering. This organization not only has students going out into the community, but they are working to become integral parts of their society.
When you sign up to work for Youth United, you are given multiple opportunities through an online system of where they need your help. Their volunteer opportunities include giving, boxing, and/or distributing supplies, necessities, food, etc. for those in need. Some opportunities to require older ages, this is because it might be harder for younger children to do the work, or where items are being distributed are more dangerous for littles. Youth United gives students multiple ways to find interests. Most opportunities showcase what it might be linked to, such as government, business, arts, etc. If students have peaked interest in one or the other, they can choose that one and use it as a volunteer opportunity that gives them insight into their future decision. For students who don’t quite know, the vast array of links to their future can give them ideas of where they might want to go toward. In many ways, this organization gives students the ability to see their community, interact with their community, and learn how to become an important part of helping their community function.
I haven’t volunteered with them before, but from what I see, there are an immense amount of opportunities to do so. For classrooms, a teacher with their students could find an age appropriate opportunity and sign the whole class up for it so they can go out and give to their community. When students begin to understand the website and how it works, they will be able to sign up for their own choice of volunteer options whenever they choose. As a teacher, I would use this for whole classroom, or if I had the advantage of splitting students up into groups, I would do group volunteer opportunities that choose whichever one they want. It would be a great student led idea to get them motivated and thinking about their community and their future.
