Step one: Pick your cause—the possibilities are endless. Passionate about the environment? Tutoring? Building houses? Ending global poverty?

Step two: Do your research—learn where help is needed and what strengths you can bring to the table.

Step three: Decide the length of your action/commitment—find something you can do for a few minutes every day, or a couple days a week, or for the rest of your life.

Step four: Find like-minded friends to join you—it’s true, you can volunteer by yourself, but getting people together can turn difficult tasks into a community effort that helps everyone in the end.

Step five: Get excited! YOU can make a difference in your neighborhood and your world!

Here are some resources and ideas to get you started:

Me to We and Free the Children: Me to We is a new kind of social enterprise for people who want to help change the world with their daily choices. They are partnered with Free the Children, the largest network of children helping children through education. Their philosophy is all about living less “me” and more “we”; by focusing on how our lives are interconnected and realizing that making positive changes in our daily activities can make life better for someone thousands of miles away. Learn how you can fight poverty and child labor through education right here in North America by starting a group with your friends or by embarking on one of their volunteer trips around the world.
Give your 10: Sign up and commit to 10 actions for 2010 that will make a difference in your community and beyond.

Do Something!: A cool website for teens—a place online where you can get ideas to do offline. Pick your cause, who with, how long, and where, and you will get a list of volunteer opportunities in your town.

Habitat for Humanity): As of today Habitat for Humanity has provided 1.5 million people in 3,000 communities with safe, decent, and affordable shelter. Join the movement! The great news is that Habitat has youth programs for all ages: Habitat Street Team (9-13), Today and Tomorrow (14-25), and Youth Leaders.

Change.org: The best place to get information on all the issues and causes you may want to champion as a future all-star volunteer!

Greenpeace: Want to be a force for our earth? Greenpeace is an organization dedicated to raising awareness and confronting global environmental problems. They offer volunteer opportunities and a student network (click on the “get involved” tab on the website) for all who are interested in promoting a green and peaceful future.

Serv.gov, volunteermatch.org, voa.org, americorps.com, volunteer.ca: These sites are a wonderful way to see just how important volunteerism is to the success of your country, and can also help you locate volunteer projects closer to home.

I Participate: supported by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, this site uses the power of entertainment to reach out and raise awareness about multiple issues and the importance of volunteer support. Search for volunteer projects in your home town and visit their youth page!

About Catherine Starr

Graduated with a degree in psychology from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Is a fan of music, everything from opera to hip-hop. Has a job, working to provide children and adolescents who are in need of mental health care with the services that they require. Believes that education is a powerful tool for changing the world. Knows that girls have the strength to be great in all ways, recognizes the struggles that young women go through in finding their place, but knows that success is possible. A big fan of living “me to we“.

Teens have a lot going on. School, sports, hobbies, part-time jobs, family, friends, and relationships are all fighting for your time. It might seem like asking a lot to expect you to add volunteering to your giant to-do list, but I’ve got some good reasons you should make it a priority.

1. Giving Back Feels Good There is something incredible about empowering yourself to help someone else. Acts of selflessness remind us that even one person can make a difference, and the rewarding feeling that comes along with helping someone in need is priceless.

2. You Gain Perspective When you volunteer, your world is expanded beyond the walls of your high school. You also become aware that you have a lot to be thankful for, like 3 meals a day, the same bed to sleep in every night, or the use of your legs. Not everyone is so lucky, and it’s important to realize that. And you know you want to be a productive member of your community!

3. Meet Like-Minded People Whatever cause you find yourself volunteering for, you are going to meet others who are passionate about it. This is an opportunity to meet and learn from a mentor, make new friendships and connect with the people you are helping.

4. Colleges Like You to Be Well-Rounded Your college application will get a serious boost from volunteer work. It shows you dedicate yourself to helping others and are serious about what you believe in. Some colleges even require a certain amount of volunteer hours, and more high schools are adding the requirement too.

5. Work the Experience You can choose to volunteer in an area you have an interest in studying or working, whether it be with children, animals, constructing new houses, in a hospital, a library, etc. You will gain valuable skills and also find out if that occupation is really for you. It’s a good way to see what line of work suits your skills and interests.

About Jen

Jen Pimm is a freelance graphic designer and writer who feels blessed to have found a way to turn her love for all things creative into a grown-up career. As the Editor for Girls By Design, she wants to encourage self-expression and confidence in young women because, once upon a time, she was not so sure of herself. When she’s not working like a fool, she’s probably taking artsy pictures of stuff, watching Jeopardy, or snuggling with her pug Stella. She appreciates a quick wit and is currently planning her next travel adventure. And she’s on Twitter! At http://www.twitter.com/JenniferPimm

This newsletter is all about volunteering so I’m going to tell you about a big event I’m going to be taking part in next year! My school is organizing this huge trip where 8 students are getting the chance to go to Kenya to try and make a difference over there. I’m lucky to be one of the 8 getting the chance to go.

Everyone who wanted to apply to go to Kenya attended a meeting with their parents and put their name down. After that we all had to do an interview. It wasn’t long after when the 8 people were revealed! The next few months are going to be so busy because of all the fundraising we’re gonna need to do. We’ve already started with things such as table quizzes, bag packing and even a Christmas Day sponsored swim. Every few weeks the 8 of us, our parents and the teachers who are coming with us get together for a meeting to discuss everything. This helps a lot so everyone is kept updated on what’s happening!

It will be around June of next year when we step onto the 14 hour flight and make our way to Kenya. Over there we will be staying in a boarding school with lots of African students, helping out and experiencing what life is like for them. The money we raise to bring over will go towards building new schools, getting proper medical supplies and giving everyone a better life in Kenya.

I’m really looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime trip and at such a young age I’m delighted to be getting the chance to go! The next few months are gonna be non- stop work so I’ll keep all of you updated on what I’m doing. I want you guys to be by my side on this journey as well as my musical journey!

About Tracey

I’m a young girl with big dreams living in a tiny little corner of Ireland! As you probably guessed music is my life and means almost everything to me. I laugh way too much and spend too much time with my guitar! My nails are always painted black and I have way too many earrings to fit in my room! I love Paramore and hope someday to be the next Hayley Williams. I love spending time with my amazing family and friends and making the most out of life!
You can check me out at www.youtube.com/XXxxtraceyfxxXX

Binks
1. Organization: YMCA

2. What made you want to volunteer there: Needed Community Service Hours for school. Lol. That was the incentive anyways! I swear it’s better and more fulfilling than that (but you have to keep reading, muahaha!).

3. What did you do there: Anything and Everything. Lol. It ranged from cleaning the turtle tanks (STINKY! sooo not cool -_- ) to organizing and participating in fundraisers to help the YMCA or other clubs that needed some mullah or work to be done.

4. What did you get out of the experience? Even though I started to volunteer because my school forced me -heh- I ended up avidly donating my time as much as I could over a long period of time, simply because I loved it! No idea how that happened, lol. I guess, it made me feel great. I was in an environment with people who wanted to help, which in turn made me want to help as well. I made lots of friends and even better memories through volunteering. I thought that, even through my most minuscule and remedial jobs I was helping in some way, aiding the efforts of a scheme bigger than me. I was making a small difference. Instead of sitting at home watching TV, I was out and about. Just knowing that made the work easier, more joyful, and made me want to continue to volunteer not only at the YMCA, but at any other organization that I felt close to. I stayed with the YMCA for 2 years and still go there from time to time, just to chill or lend a hand.

To anyone looking to volunteer, I’d suggest to look for something you like, an area that interests you, drag a friend with you and just sign up! Easy peasy. Its also great work experience! Don’t be afraid *cough or lazy cough* just go out and have fun!

Blair
1. Organization: The Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival

2. What made you want to volunteer there: I have recently rekindled my interest in writing and I thought a great way to get involved would be to participate in the festival. The opportunities to meet and talk with successful authors was invaluable and something that doesn’t happen everyday. Plus, to be honest, I really love books. I mean I love the book as a physical object. I love reading them and collecting them and I love the smell and feel of a book.

3. What did you do there: The festival had a variety of needs and you could volunteer doing anything from catering, to transportation, to working at the bookstore. I did book sales and signings, which means I got to sell books at the different events and helped out with book signings.

4. What did you get out of the experience? It did feel good to volunteer my time to something that is important to me. But, to be selfish, I feel I really took more from the festival than I gave. I got a great discount on books and was fed and treated with great appreciation. I had the opportunity to attend any event for free and get books signed. I got to listen and speak to authors whose work I know and respect. And it was great to meet and learn about other volunteers with whom I share a common interest. I am already excited to do it again and am looking into volunteering in other ways as well.

Jenny
1. Organization: Live United (Fondos Unidos in Spanish)

2. What made you want to volunteer there: I was made to volunteer there because it’s mandatory to serve 100 hours of community service to graduate where I live. I ended up liking it so much that I went overboard and did lots more!

3. What did you do there: Live United helps lots of other events and they have their own events too. They have a Thanksgiving event in which they offer the homeless and needy food, clothes, and other essentials. They also help out with events such as triathlons, cleaning up beaches, and we even helped out at the Puerto Rico Golf Open! (that was fun! LOL). The best of all the things we did was when we went to visit girls from 2-19 years of age that are taken from their homes for different reasons such as: abuse, homeless, etc. It really opened my eyes to the reality of life and to what is really happening all around us. It was very rewarding for me to brighten their day by playing with them, talking with them and just giving them the love they really need.

4. What did you get out of the experience? I realized that we should always help out others without expecting anything in return. It’s very rewarding to see the smiles you bring to people’s faces when you know you’ve changed their lives for the better. It’s truly amazing!

Sarah
1. Organization: Church and Sick Kids

2. What made you want to volunteer there: As you can tell, there is a trend in my volunteering and that involves sick and/or less fortunate kids. Why? Why not?! They’re kiddies, they don’t deserve the bad stuff that comes their way and if I can help them in any way possible, I will.

3. What did you do there: Through my church it was mainly Christmas parties for the kiddies and such to raise money for the less fortunate kids. With Sick Kids I helped to set auctions up for fundraisers.

4. What did you get out of the experience? Oddly enough, I really don’t know what I got out of it. Yeah, I learned some skills, but I also learned those skills on Student Council and you’d think I got the warm fuzzies, but I didn’t. I did develop a drive to help out children who are in bad situations though. I guess that’s something, heehee.

It was a dreary, rainy Fall day when I met Rhianna in the EYA Youth Garden, but the greenhouse kept us dry and Rhianna’s enthusiasm shone like the sun. Rhianna, 28, has been the Co-ordinator of Urban Agriculture and Greening at the Environmental Youth Alliance (more commonly known as EYA) for over two years. While she was a student in Sustainable Agriculture and Latin American Studies at UBC, Rhianna volunteered with EYA and loved how they worked closely with the communities in Vancouver to develop projects that the community members wanted. She doesn’t like to spend a lot of time in an office and EYA believes in minimizing office-time and maximizing time spent out and about in the community.

Growing food in the city is becoming really popular these days. But, EYA was way ahead of the curve. Green spaces within cities provide habitat for urban wildlife like birds, insects, and other creatures. Local food is fresher and may have more nutrients than food that is picked before it’s ripe and shipped around the continent and around the world. Growing food yourself within the city allows people who couldn’t afford to buy it the opportunity to eat this healthy food. And, connecting to nature through gardening is excellent for our mental health and emotional health.
EYA has several Urban Agriculture projects. They provide habitat to Mason bees and are connecting older Honey Bee beekeepers with youth who want to learn how to be beekeepers. They are creating one of the only living walls made of edible plants in North America –right in Blood Alley in Gastown. EYA teaches elementary school students how to grow plants and they help high schools start their own school gardens. Right now they are working with Windermere Secondary. The Youth Garden where I met Rhianna is a hidden paradise located in an industrial area. Even at this time of the year it was full of vegetables like kale, Swiss Chard, cabbage, and leeks. This is the garden where they grow the seedlings that they give to community groups so that people with low incomes can grow their own food. They also grow the seeds here that they sell to raise funds for their projects.

Rhianna is a role model for healthy living. She says that one of the ways that she takes care of herself is by drinking a lot of herbal teas. That’s on top of all that gardening and eating vegetables!

Whether you are an expert vegetable gardener or you don’t know what colour your thumbs are, there are all kinds of ways to volunteer with EYA. Check out their website or contact Rhianna with an idea of your own. Rhianna even helps people start environment clubs at their schools. Rhianna’s number is 604-689-4446 or email her at rhianna@eya.ca

About Kristen Yarker-Edgar

I’m a food-loving MSc. Registered Dietitian working in Vancouver, BC. I’ve been a dietitian for over 6 years and this summer I followed my dream and opened my own business.

I believe that healthy eating is a celebration. It nourishes our bodies, tastes great, connects us to our friends, families, history and culture, and the earth.

I like everything about food – shopping, cooking and especially eating. OK, I guess I don’t like one thing – dishes. My favourite is having friends over for a dinner party. Feeding people fantastic food is how I show them that I love them. www.vitaminkconsulting.com Twitter: @vitknutrition Email: kristen@vitaminkconsulting.com Phone: 1-604-506-0399