Volunteer work ?

Question

How old do you have to be to volunteer somewhere?

Answer 1

Depends on where and what type of work. About 14-16 yrs. olf is common.

Answer 2

Depends on where you want to volunteer. Some places require you to be 18, some require you to be 16, some require you to be 14. Any place where you are allowed to volunteer under 18 will require your parent or guardian to sign something. If you are under 14 and want to volunteer, look into the Girl Scouts or your community of faith (church, mosque, temple, etc.) for group volunteering opportunities.

If you are in the USA, look at these web sites:

VolunteerMatch, http://www.volunteermatch.org

Idealist, http://www.idealist.org

Change.org, http://www.change.org

CraigsList, http://www.craigslist.com

Network for Good, http://www.networkforgood.org

http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/

ServeNet, http://servenet.org/

If you see an organization that you would like to help, but don't see a volunteering opportunity posted by that organization, it's okay to call them and say you would like to volunteer -- they may have opportunities they haven't posted. Also, many organizations are open to your own suggestions for volunteering activities.

Also, contact your local volunteer center; you can find this via the Points of Light Foundation web site,

http://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/

There's also this government sponsored site, http://volunteer.gov/gov/ which provides volunteer positions through USA federal land agencies like Fish & Wildlife, Forest Service, National Parks, etc.

Remember that finding a volunteering gig can be like finding a job: you may have to interview several times before you are chosen for an assignment.

NetAid has programs specifically for high school students in North America who want to help in the developing world. NetAid is now a part of MeryCorps

http://www.netaid.org

TakingIT Global is another resource for young people in the USA who want to do something to affect the situation positively in developing countries

www.takingitglobal.org/