Opinion: Why every teen should volunteer

Volunteering has become a key part of the teenage experience, so much so that over 28.3% of Americans ages 16+ volunteered between September 2022 to Sept. 2023, according to the United States Census Bureau. Of course, serving and giving back to the community is always encouraged, but not every student may see the value of volunteering. Sure, it can be fun, but is it really that important?

According to a study called “Volunteerism in Adolescence: A Process Perspective” from Taylor & Francis Online, “Volunteering is found to strengthen intrinsic work values and the anticipated importance of community involvement.” In other words, volunteering allows the younger generation to prepare for the big world. 

With volunteerism, teens can get real-world experience in networking, work habits and other social skills and can find what they are passionate about in life. In a society where schools stress discovering your career path and preparing for the future, shouldn’t volunteering be one of the main methods of doing so? 

This past summer, I volunteered for two weeks at The Youth Center’s Camp S.H.A.R.K., a summer daycare camp for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. I left the experience with a strengthened immune system (the two-week cold was worth it!) and some very important takeaways.

The first is that volunteering should be something you want to do. I think that part gets overlooked a lot, with students scrambling to complete their service hours by finding something easy to do. I’ll admit, it was exhausting, but serving over the summer was something I truly enjoyed and will definitely do next year. I don’t think I would have learned as much from the experience if I hadn't loved helping others and being active in my community. It’s why there are so many volunteer opportunities in our communities in the first place – everyone should be able to love what they do. 

I also learned how volunteering teaches you how to function in a job-like setting. Not following directions and doing tasks all day, but how to work in an organizational environment. Volunteers at the summer camp were expected to help the staff with crafts, games and activities for the kids, and even supervise during field trips. If a staff member gave me a specific job, whether it was leading a game or cleaning up a mess, I would do it. However, I was not completely dependent on my employer’s instructions the entire time. On slow days and during the free-play hours, I had to take initiative on what I would do next without specific direction, so I would go to the craft tables to offer extra help, or just stick with a group of kids and keep an eye on them. 

In a job setting, you need to be independent while still knowing your place in a professional environment. You need to know how to communicate and how an employer-employee relationship functions. Volunteering taught me that.

“I think (volunteering) teaches you life lessons in responsibility, (and) I think it just goes towards teaching you to be a good human (and) giving back to the community that fed into you,” said Gail Davenport, the head counselor for Los Alamitos High School. 

Paige Oleson Hardy, a sophomore at LAHS, has been volunteering at the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Teen Climate Council since spring of 2023. Working as an educator, she told Spotlight Schools how she has learned how to speak to large crowds while presenting on marine life. 

“I believe that every student should volunteer because it's a great way for them to get involved in their communities, get to know different people and establish work relationships, and volunteering is also a great way for one to expand their knowledge on subjects that they are interested in,” Paige said.

CollegeVine, a company that "leverages its vast student network, data, and AI agents to transform student recruitment," recommends that students attain 50-200 volunteer hours in their four years of high school as a way to meet requirements, build up resumes, and write college applications.

Laguna Beach High School is one of few public schools in Orange County that requires students to complete service hours to graduate, according to its website. Most other local campuses, including Los Alamitos High School, only grant awards to students who achieve a certain amount of hours at the end of their four years.

But with no requirement mandated by schools, it can be easy to overlook the importance of community service. Additionally, volunteering may not be every student’s priority when having to manage sports, classes, and even college applications at the same time, and I can understand that.

However, I’ve been able to make connections with people, learn valuable life skills and so much more simply because I chose to volunteer. I think if every teen took the time to volunteer from the heart, the same would happen for them. Ultimately, with volunteering, teens can prepare for their big future by starting small, all while doing good for others.

Editor's Note: Views expressed in opinion articles are the author's and do not reflect the views of Spotlight Schools.

This opinion article was written by Spotlight Schools Editorial Intern Katie Arnoult , a student at Los Alamitos High School. Help support the Spotlight Schools internship program that inspires and trains young journalists by donating to Spotlight Schools here.