TOP

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Teen Volunteer Opportunities

Now that summer is in full swing, consider any number of the many creative volunteering activities in Vancouver that have potential to grab the interest of your teen and possibly even lead to a career, or at least strengthen a resume.

  • The Clark County Food Bank is in need of volunteers to help sort and repack food as well as many other jobs. More information can be found at: www.clarkcountyfoodbank.org.
  • Teens who are 16 and older can help out at Child Watch at the Marshall Center. This involves providing care for children ages 3 months to 10 years old while their parents use Marshall Center facilities. www.cityofvancouver.us/parksrec/page/child-watch-volunteers has additional information for those interested.
  • Clark County Teen Talk has volunteer opportunities for youth ages 15-19 to answer phone calls and emails from other teens who seek help with relationship struggles, depression, family issues, anxiety, and a host of other concerns. Kris Henriksen oversees this program. She can be reached at 360-397-2130 ext. 5199
  • Vancouver Fire Department has openings for anyone 16 and older to be a part of the Fire Corps, which provides community education and fire prevention tips throughout the community. www.cityofvancouver.us/fire/page/fire-corps.
  • Clark County Sheriff’s department offers an Explorer program for youth ages 15-21. Explorers are given the opportunity to observe the criminal justice system and provide non-enforcement assistance to the Sheriff’s Office while serving their community through a wide variety of functions, including ride-a-longs. For additional information, go to: http://www.clark.wa.gov/sheriff/support/explorers.html or contact Sgt. Shane Gardner at Shane.Gardner@clark.wa.gov or by phone at 360-397-2366.

Call the City of Vancouver’s Volunteer Coordinator, Hailey Heath, at 360-487-8316 for additional opportunities.

To read the full column on summer volunteering and educational opportunities, pick up a copy of the July 2014 issue at any of these locations, or view the digital archive copy here.

Justin Farrell is a married father of two living in Vancouver. He is a licensed independent clinical social worker and a child mental health specialist as well as an adjunct professor at Concordia University where he teaches a class on the psychology of fatherhood.

Post a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.