That it’s impossible for 14 year olds to get volunteering experience.

[OldTiredMum1976]

I have a very sensible 14 year old girl who is hoping to be a teacher when she grows up. She has a 9 week summer holiday and gets so fed up! She would like to do some volunteering to get some things on her CV, however, it seems impossible to find anything these days.

Has anyone got any ideas?

Junior parkrun.

Our local food bank has years8s and year 12s volunteering.

Work experience at a nursery that runs through summer would be ideal

See if your local Explorer Scouts unit has a Young Leader section, for volunteering with Squirrels, Beavers or Cubs. There's a whole training programme that goes with it, and in our District and others it can be converted to a BTEC with a couple of days extra study.

An excellent way to Volunteer in term time , but if the OP's dd isn't already a Scout, it is unlikely she will be able to find a way of filling her holidays.

Edited as I miss-read 🙂

That’s very interesting. Was it paid work?

She doesn’t have to volunteer in an organised scheme. She can look in in neighbours, help out people around her who need it.

How about beach clean ups or conservation monitoring via Wildlife Trusts?

I know lots of people have already suggested the summer reading challenge at the library, helping out with younger groups at her hobbies etc but depending on where you are based, you may find a local Sailability group would be able to use your DD as a volunteer over the summer. I'm aware of KS3 students who do this, mostly those who already sail themselves but sometimes those who don't. It's been a great experience for those I know.

My DD 14yo is a young leader for Brownies, helps out at the local church coffee mornings (we are not religious so not a requirement) and holds fundraising events for charities. She started with young fundraisers for PDSA https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/young-fundraisers

Teens volunteered with our local playgroup last summer (parent required to stay with toddler at all times so no need to dbs check as they had no responsibility over children and never alone with them)

My ds was a volunteer at our local community run, volunteer staffed cinema from age 13. He did it for about 2 years and absolutely loved it.

One of mine was in a sports club and over the years started helping with the younger children, plus general helping out with setting up and clearing up at classes or special events. By the time she was 18, she’d improved their subscription collection recording system and was teaching small groups.

My advice is to get involved in something that she enjoys herself and then make herself useful within that context.

My much younger cousin was highly motivated to earn and started at 14 washing up in a pub on Sundays, the pub did a great Sunday roast apparently.

I think St John's Ambulance have young volunteers. It's not directly linked to teaching but all schools need a first aider.

My DS volunteered at the local library to help with the summer reading scheme when he was 14 - he actually then stayed volunteering on Saturdays for a year!

Look on your local community notice boards out side the church, halls etc.
If there are any coffee mornings, elderly lunch groups, women’s own type things get in contact with the organisers and see if she could help. Our local “Tuesday Club” is always looking for help with setting up chairs, serving sandwiches and tea for the very elderly people who come, putting the chairs away again etc, the slightly less elderly people who currently do it love having the help!

I'm going to be a bit negative here. I'm sure she's a lovely girl, but if I were her Mum, I'd be talking to her about:

a) there is limited usefulness in a volunteer who comes along for a few weeks then buggers off again. What charities and organisations need is someone who turns up regularly and reliably. One hour a week for a year is more useful to them than a 3 week block, unless there's a charity needing extra short-term hands for a project. She is currently only thinking about what would be useful for her, not what is useful for the organisation. Which brings me to point 2.

b) Volunteering should be rewarding, yes, but in terms of self esteem, skills, satisfaction in contributing something to society/community, getting involved with something you enjoy, making life a little bit better for others. Those 'intrinsic' rewards. You are giving the impression she is not actually interested in any of that,or the people or cause she might be working with, just the extrinsic 'something to put on CV'. Having supervised volunteers myself, this does not a good volunteer make. The motivations matter. Does she have no drive to do this other than her CV?. To be blunt, I find that quite unpleasant.

If she's still 14 in the summer hols, the Barracudas BX programme might interest her, although you're paying for the holiday camp so very expensive compared to actual "volunteering". DD did it last year witha friend and they both loved it, found it very well run. https://www.barracudas.co.uk/activities/bxplus-12-14-years

That's no true. My teenager has been volunteering at the library since 15 (16 now) but there's another girl who is younger. She was doing crafts with children when she was under 16.

It’s hard for under 16s to do anything meaningful like this unless they have connections. They can always volunteer at park run, I think also scouts as others have said.

My DD is 15 and wants to work for cash but nowhere seems to hire under 16s anymore.

For teaching, any extra curricular activity that kids generally take part in would be considered CV enhancing, so look for things in the library, at theatre or music groups, or at sport clubs.

Or St Johns Ambulance is also good.

Seconding (or thirding) Parkrun.

My daughter does Junior Parkrun volunteering. They are always looking for volunteers. Its a really friendly community and a good way to start learning to have some responsibility.

Go to your nearest Parkrun website.

Barnardos do a specific scheme for 14-18 yo in their shops. Its usually once a week but you could ask about more compressed time.

As many have said - Park Run. DC1 volunteered for them age 15 as part of their DofE. DC1 was surprised how much they and enjoyed it. They even eventually had a go at Park Run. It was a good experience.