Volunteering and work experience

[margoesquire]

Has anyone had experience with teenagers (age 14) finding work experience or volunteering. I am currently reading about St Johns and NHS cadet and various charities and such organisations... like RSPCA etc.

TIA

It is becoming increasingly difficult to find places willing to take younger people on. In terms of volunteering Park Run is a good starting point but only for an hour ish on a Saturday morning.

I'm a squirrel scout leader and we have 14 year olds volunteer with us for DofE.

Thank you! I have never heard of Park Run - this is fantastic as we live very near a park where the event takes place! Again thank you - I'll be looking into that!!

both my kids joined St John ambulance cadets and did leadership stuff through them.

they also volunteered for first aid duties where they were accompanied by an adult. My son racked up a lot of hours (he was applying for medicine)

Thank you - DofE will be through school, so I hope he will manage to get a lot done through that. It is also great to have opportunities that are outside school. I am encouraged from all your responses as will be positively researching down those routes. St Johns Ambulance (first aid) seems almost what I would hope is a life skill too. thank you! @Octavia64 good luck with his application to med school.

Often easier to find by doing something they are already involved with, and known to adults there.

For example:

• When my dc learned to swim (with a swimming club) teens from the club used to be in the water with the little ones, to help the teacher
• Scouts and Guides, BB and GB have young leader schemes
• Sports clubs welcome teens to help with younger teams
• Churches welcome teens (in their holidays) to help out with lunch clubs and warm welcome sessions
• One of my dc who was known to the music dept at school, helped with the Junior orchestra one year.

So, is there anything they do that might help them get a foot in ?

Army/Air Cadets?

My ds did a karate class from 6-16. At 14 and 15 he did summers helping out in the junior class for an hour every Sunday.

yes, we are in the process of getting to know what it is that he would like to get involved in for interest and also for giving his time for great causes.

they will do that when they start school (y9) - thank you - yes this will be great for them as we had OTC at uni.

A bit late for this summer but our local library takes reading volunteers from age 14 to coincide with the summer reading challenge open to primary school aged children.

DS volunteered at his old primary school at after school club and at his secondary school at one of their lunchtime clubs.

Riding for the disabled will take on young volunteers.

thank you!