Teens + Volunteering = AWESOME. A Case for Youth Involvement

Here's a great blog post on VolunteerSpot last week talking about youth volunteerism.

"Volunteerism is a way for kids to cut across social and financial boundaries and connect with people different from them."

Much of what we do at Mount Rainier has nothing to do with crossing between different social and economic groups. But that's not always true. SCA's Conservation Leadership Corps makes a special effort to reach out to diverse groups, not just the traditional groups that have connected with the national parks for decades. And check out our new Camping Adventure with My Parents program, including new photos I've just posted from this past weekend's group. As our volunteer and outreach programs slowly merge, there may be more and more opportunities for youth to become involved in ways that give them exposure to social needs as well as environmental ones.

I would also take minor issue with the idea that there are only two possible benefits to youth volunteerism: building job skills, and developing empathy with groups different than oneself. Here at Rainier, we also encourage a sense of stewardship, of responsibility in the natural world. That, I would argue, is also an awesome case for youth involvement.