student leadership
THE STUDENT LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM
Leaders walk their talk.

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Making the Right Choice About Service

There are many, many ways to provide service. It should not be a chore. Transforming service from a chore to an enjoyable event begins with making the right choice. There are lots of ways to make a difference in your school or in your community. There are all sorts of volunteer service opportunities. Make the right choice! Making the right choice means that you must begin with making the right decision as to what kind of volunteer experience is best for you.

We suggest you begin by answering these ten questions:

Why am I volunteering?
How much time do I have?
What do I enjoy doing?
What would I like to learn?
Do I prefer being by myself or in groups?
Do I want to volunteer during the school year or during the summer?
What do I expect to “get” from volunteering?
What do I hate to do?
What type of people do I want to be with?
What issues are most important to me?

Write down these answers. Don’t turn it into an essay contest. Keep the answers short and to the point. Then take out a clean sheet of paper. Based on your answers, write a single paragraph on the type of volunteering you’d like to do. Include the basics:

category of volunteering (environment, people, animals, etc.)
amount to time you can volunteer
description of the atmosphere you would be comfortable working in

Now you have your starting point. Now you can begin to look for the exact type of volunteering that is right for you.

For more information: