Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Teens & Volunteering - The Value

Summer is the perfect time to get your volunteer/community service hours checked off your list.

Where should I volunteer? Why should I volunteer? It is the chorus of so many teen voices. While many teens are excited to volunteer many are also required to complete volunteer hours for school, honor societies, community organizations, scouts, religious organizations, you name it.

Yes it may be cliché, but although you may not be getting paid for the time you are volunteering the experience you gain will be useful to you in the long run… in addition to the benefit of helping your fellow man, of course.

What Can You Get Out of Volunteering?

• Work skills - You can develop important skills volunteering that you can transfer to the working world. Arriving on time, working individually and in teams, office etiquette, responsibility, time management, customer service -- these are all essential skills that you will need in the workplace that you can learn through volunteering.
• Trying out a field or business to see if it is the right fit for you -- with no strings attached. Volunteering allows you to test out your fields of interest to see if they live up to what you imagine. Thinking the health field is for you-- Why not volunteer at a hospital or doctor’s office? Have you long dreamed about being a lawyer? Volunteer or get an internship in a law office. Maybe you love it, maybe you hate it, either way you learned something important, if it is something you want to pursue in the future.
• Beef up your resume - All the work experience you gain as a volunteer can be listed on your resume and job applications. For many jobs you need work experience to get a job. Maybe you haven’t worked yet but you can gain experience by volunteering.
• Get your foot in the door at an organization you may want to apply to work at in the future. Many organizations, such as libraries, often look at exceptional volunteers as future employees. If you are a great worker when you are volunteering the employer will assume you will be a great worker when you are paid.
• Hone and share your talents - Volunteering can be a great way to hone and share your talents with others. Perhaps you love playing musical instruments or are passionate about computer coding -- why not give free concerts or teach free classes at community centers? Greenburgh Public Library has had dozens of creative teen volunteers earn their community service hours by sharing their passions and talents with the community.
• References - Your volunteer supervisor is a great person to list as a reference and to provide you with recommendations for future job and internship applications, scholarships, grants, college admissions, and more.  Reminder: Always make sure to ask a person if it is ok before listing them as a reference.

Where Can You Volunteer?

• Local Volunteer Opportunities Beyond the Public Library
• Greenburgh Public Library Teen Volunteers
  • Become a VolunTeen
    Earn community service hours by doing anything from reading with kids, tech help, running events, organizing, and so much more.
  • Create your own volunteer experience!
  • If you have a cool idea for an event you would like to do with the community let us know and we can make it happen.
  • Just check out some of the cool volunteer-created and run events from past, present, and future listed below and get inspired to make your own:
    • Computer Computer Coding
    • Extreme Cupcake Decorating
    • GPL FanCon Expo
    • Camp Cryptobot: Drone Flying, Robotics, Soldering, and more
    • DIY Ice Cream & Sorbet
    • DIY Emoji Pillow
    • Welcome Summer Party: Snow Cones & Video Games
    • Video & Card Game Tournaments
    • ...and so much more.
  • Teens, want to run your own event(s) at Greenburgh Public Library? Email the Teen Services Librarians and we can make it happen @ greenteen@greenburghlibrary.org.
  • Community Service Project Days - GPL regularly hosts events where volunteers grades 6-12 can earn a big chunk of community service hours.