Surprised to see a post on Tuesday? Don’t be! Today, we’re pleased to present a guest post by Jen Hoyer, which she submitted for our Youth Voices Publication. If you have something to say and want to get it up on the JHC blog, be sure to check out the guidelines on how to submit a Youth Voices guest post in the Get Involved section up above.
Make us Part of Your Community: Provide a Way for Us to Get Out and Lend a Hand
Pressing human rights concerns – both locally and abroad – are only going to matter to young people who care about the community they live in and who have had an opportunity to explore social issues they are interested in. The best way to learn to care about your community is to be involved in it, and the best way to get involved as a young person is to volunteer.
While volunteer opportunities should be a snap to find, that’s easier said than done. As a young person I’ve had older people not take my willingness to volunteer seriously. They think I will lack commitment or a good work ethic. I have a lot to contribute and my skills are valuable, but my age seems to discredit me sometimes.
It’s also a challenge as a young person to get involved with some volunteer opportunities because they either conflict with the unpredictable work schedules we might have to take on at this point in our lives, or because we don’t have the transportation required for a specific activity. If we try to get involved with local causes and are excluded because we can’t fit the traditional volunteer mold, we slowly lose interest in participating in our community and giving our time to issues we’re interested in.
It’s time for organizations to think outside the box when it comes to involving young people as volunteers for their causes. Provide one-off volunteer opportunities that don’t require any pre- or post-commitment. Create projects that volunteers can work at remotely, on their own schedules. Recognize the valuable skills young people have that will allow them to make a unique contribution to your organization and their community.
By providing avenues for young people to give their time and energy while exploring causes they are interested in, human rights organizations are educating tomorrow’s leaders and fostering habits of being involved. When the next important cause lands in our laps, our course of action will be informed by a thorough understanding of how to confront social issues and will be backed by solid relationships within the community we’re involved in.
Jen Hoyer is a librarian and musician who currently makes Edmonton her home. Her volunteering career began at the age of 10 when she secured a position as “environmental engineer” (garbage picker) on the Habitat for Humanity build her father was coordinating. Since then she has been working hard, for free and occasionally for money, to create the kind of community she thinks other people will enjoy living in.
