Ten Holiday Service Projects for Teens

Ten Holiday Service Projects for Teens

Ways Kids Can Help Others During the Holidays

Dec 11, 2009 Susan Carney

Teen groups looking for opportunities to be of service to others have plenty to choose from during the holiday season. For teens feeling the spirit of the season, here are ten ideas for helping others.

Assist Seniors

The elderly may have trouble getting out and about. Therefore, they would certainly appreciate help with holiday tasks such as decorating, shopping, or purchasing a Christmas tree. Teens can even offer their services for everyday jobs such as cooking and cleaning.

Bake Christmas Cookies for the Troops

Troops overseas who aren’t coming home for the holidays need a little holiday spirit delivered to them. Contacting local recruitment headquarters should yield contact information if teens don’t have any personal contacts. Make sure cookies are fresh and well-packed with lots of cushioning for the trip.

Volunteer With the Salvation Army

Anyone can be a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. A quick contact to the local chapter can connect teens with the opportunity to help.

Adopt a Family

Local social service agencies may be able to put teens in touch with a family with little resources to provide gifts for their kids. How it works is this: the group is provided with the names and ages of the children, and they purchase or collect donations for gifts for each child. Teens may want to consider collecting donations for a Christmas dinner, as well.

Collect Toys for Children

Unfortunately, there are lots of kids who may not be getting much in the way of gifts from Santa this year. Children in homeless or women’s shelters, for example, often have parents with more pressing needs who may not have the time and resources to provide much in the way of gifts. Teens can ask local toy stores if they can set up outside and solicit toy donations from patrons as they shop. Stores are often eager to help with a worthy cause; and it boosts their sales, too.

Work in a Soup Kitchen

Search the yellow pages for shelters or soup kitchens in your area. Volunteers are needed at all times, not just on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. They need lots of help; with preparing, cooking, serving, and cleaning up tasks to be done, everyone can find a way to help out.

Answer Children’s Letters to Santa

Teens can contact a local elementary school (or daycare, if the kids can dictate their letters) and offer their services. The kids can write letters as part of a class project and pack them into a box to be mailed to Santa. Teens can write responses to individual children, signed from Santa, and send the return letters back to the school.

Visit a Senior Center

Many senior may not have family to visit with them during the holiday season. They would appreciate a visit from young people. Teens may be able to play a game of cards, read to them, or just chat. Contact local centers to see if a visit can be arranged.

Volunteer at an Animal Shelter

Teens who are pet lovers may feel a special pull towards helping animals. They can volunteer to clean cages, feed animals, walk dogs, or other tasks. Donations of food, can

Collect Winter Gear for the Needy

Gently used coats, gloves, scarves, and hats can be a godsend for those that don’t have warm outerwear for the winter. Homeless shelters are likely to welcome such a donation; call first to make sure.

Teen groups who want to perform a holiday service project should choose an activity that suits their interests, time, and budget. There are lots of ways to help this season!

Read more at Suite101: Ten Holiday Service Projects for Teens: Ways Kids Can Help Others During the Holidays http://youthdevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/ten_holiday_service_projects_for_teens#ixzz0lMsKYH4W

Building Strong Supervision Relationships

Building Strong Supervision Relationships

Suggestions for Youth Worker Supervisors

Feb 19, 2010 Susan Carney

Good supervision allows time for youth workers to bring up questions or issues they are struggling with on the job. By providing a safe, helpful atmosphere, supervisors can develop the trust that allows that to happen.

Trusting and Supportive Relationships

Developing trust is important in the supervision relationship. But it can be tricky. Supervisors need to be understanding, and approachable, yet they often need to correct behavior or offer constructive criticism. This feedback will be more readily accepted if offered within the boundaries of a fair and supportive supervisory relationship.

Support is important: otherwise, supervisors run the risk of having employees who are afraid of them. If this happens, youth workers will be hesitant to take risks or offer new ideas. Worse, they may withhold important information. Strong supervisors know how to both teach and support at the same time.

Recognizing Strengths and Weaknesses

Always start off an evaluation process by recognizing the youth worker’s strengths. This will set a positive tone for the rest of the evaluation, as well as helping the employee relax. Everyone likes to hear about what they are doing well, and it makes them more receptive to hearing any constructive criticism or suggestions for improvement that may follow.

When weaknesses need to be addressed, try to provide a few examples so that employees can clearly grasp the point being made. Keep areas for improvement to two or three. This will keep the youth worker from being overwhelmed or discouraged. Also, help provide solids plans or ideas about how the worker can grow in those areas.

Read more at Suite101: Building Strong Supervision Relationships: Suggestions for Youth Worker Supervisors http://youthdevelopment.suite101.com/article.cfm/building-strong-supervision-relationships#ixzz0lMq8w1lx

Battle of the Bands 2010 YR. 4