The 20th century has become a selfish, lazy and materialistic society. This concept is simply as day. People are increasingly seeing these common characteristics dominate in peoples’ culture and values. One of the most effective solutions for this issue is volunteerism. Volunteerism practices life skills like generosity, leadership and intrinsic motivation.

Comparing to the 29 percent of adults that volunteer, the National Service Corporation says that 55 percent of teenagers or 15.5 million youth volunteer. Youth between the ages of 12 and 18 contribute 1.3 billion hours of community service each year.

The act of volunteering allows a person to grow. The growth of a person might enable them to open their eyes to see that they are very fortunate or it might be them exploring new skills and abilities.

Junior Jessica Nelson said, “I have volunteered with Community Thread before through Young Life and I love it. Everyone is so active and excited to be there. It is nice after a long day of school to go there and have fun with a bunch of great people. I love it so much that I am actually going to be working at a camp this summer through Young Life.”

Without the help of volunteers, thousands of communities and cities would be failing. A community is built on people, therefore, people need to give and take, in order to create a strong and stable community.

Junior Lauren Kelley said, “I really think more people should at least volunteer some of their time to their community because their community gives so much to them. If you are in any sport, there are tons of volunteers that are always there to run concessions and volunteers that set up the field for you to play. Many people make excuses like they are too busy or they would rather just sleep. I know a lot of teenagers are busy, but I think everyone can find some time to volunteer.”

On the other hand, some might challenge the idea that one out of every two teenagers volunteer, especially people of an older generation.

Community Thread leader Kira Young said, “ I think the key for teenagers who are looking for long-term volunteer opportunities and those that are looking for more short-term or one-time opportunities is to think about something that you are truly passionate about…a cause, an issue, a population, a technology etc. and find an opportunity or organization in the community that aligns with that passion. There are many ways to find organizations, including Community Thread’s Get Connected database at http://www.communitythreadconnect.org/ where you can search opportunities in the St. Croix Valley area. In addition, teenagers (and anyone interested in volunteering) should think outside of the box and come up with their own ideas on how they can help their community or a local organization. This may include offering to help with social media for an event or hosting their own fundraising event for their school that benefits the organization. The possibilities are endless and I know so many organizations would jump at the chance to have passionate and creative youth involved in their mission. So be creative and find your passion.”

A community needs people to make it grow. The teenage generation could be very powerful if they put their skills to work. Volunteering could also be a domino effect if people in a community could come together and give some of their time to make their community or city a better place to live.