My Volunteering Experiences: Reaching out to the youth within..

Well, were do I start! 

Last year I was a youth group leader for our local area, I dedicated every Tuesday and Friday night to be with around 30 teenages ranging from ages 13+ within Craigie and it was great!

I was the only female leader - but together with around 3 or 4 other dedicated people we managed to organise fun activities for kids to come to and enjoy - to forget about about life or school for awhile and enjoy a safe and fun environment.

I never got paid for this, I was always transporting kids from one place to another - I didn't mother them (well I tried not to) and I really did enjoy being in there company.  I really felt that it was important to create a safe environment for them - to grow, to be who they want to be and to have fun, without the hassles of school and home life.  They seemed to enjoy themselves and every week they were always inviting there friends!

It was all about them really, I put myself in there shoes; remembered what it was like to be a teenage and asked myself "What would I want to do on a Friday night" and then, the team went from there. I clearly remember not having this type of activities available to me when I was a teenager and so when I get positive feedback from the group it really does lift my spirits... to give something back to them, to make their Friday nights a little more fun and certainly a lot safer then my own!

Working with Youth is a passion of mine, so naturally working as a volunteer in this capacity only makes sense to me.  But I encourage each and everyone of you to find something that you are passionate about and then volunteer your time, services or money in that area.  You wont regret it.