Volunteer opportunities for teens

According to a 2004 Statistics Canada study, the myth of the self-indulgent teenager may be dead. The Canadian survey Giving, Volunteering and Participating found that teens account for 65 per cent of all volunteers. But that only proves statistically what American high school coach Jeff Leland has known all along.

When his infant son was diagnosed with leukemia and his health care insurance hadn't kicked in yet, Leland witnessed teenaged "impulses of compassion" first hand. The entire high school student body raised $227,000 through radio calls, canvassing door to door and car washes. This gesture prompted Leland to found the Sparrow Clubs, an organization that raises money in American high schools for local children in need.

Teenagers have "a tender underbelly," he writes in his 2003 book Disarming the Teenage Heart, which chronicles the passionate nature of teens.

Volunteering is for everyone
The passionate teen can be found in unlikely corners. Skater boy Robert Dyer, whose arms and neck are covered with colourful tattoos, started the foundation Skate4Cancer at age 15 after losing four loved ones – his mother, both grandmothers, and a close friend – to the disease. He skateboarded about 4,830 kilometres across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer. Not only was it a good way for him to deal with the negative energy, but Princess Margaret Hospital reported an increase of about $100,000 in donations as a result of his efforts. Though the trip was gruelling work, he did it again in the summer of 2008. "It felt great, like I had big meaning in my life," he said. "It felt like the people who passed away kind of lived on through this.”

Now 24, Dyer splits his time between working as a waiter and sharing his cancer awareness message with high school students. "Volunteer for something because you love it," Dyer advises teens. "People of any age can have an impact only limited by the size of their imagination.”

Page 1 of 2