Volunteering: Giving Back

Children's Literature

Teens have a variety of reasons for volunteering. There may be a particular issue they are interested in, the environment, for example, or animals that are abused, or they may be just interested in helping people. Before getting started, teens need to establish their interest, determine how much time they have available to volunteer and assess the skills they have to offer. A self-assessment test to determine why they want to volunteer, what they are interested in and the skills that they actually have is available for the teen to use. The author describes three basic areas of volunteering¾helping people, protecting the environment and donating blood and organs. Among the volunteer possibilities mentioned is volunteering with family members or friends. This presents an opportunity for families or friends to spend time together giving back to the community. Suggestions are offered on how to determine if a project is right for you. Teens should visit the place where they are going to volunteer and ask questions about what they will be doing, who they will be reporting to, where exactly they will be working and determine if it fits in with their available time. This is a very useful, practical book offering tips to aid teens in entering the world of volunteerism. 2002, Capstone Press, $23.95. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Leila Toledo

VOYA

The "Life Skills" series of twelve slender volumes deals with significant issues for young adults and includes Self-Acceptance: Building Confidence, Conflict Resolution: Communication, Cooperation, Compromise, as well as this brief book on volunteering. Wandberg explains in simple format why teens should volunteer, how they might decide where to volunteer, and where volunteer help is needed in three basic categories: working with people, working with the community and environment, and making donations. The people category discusses helping those with both mental and physical diseases. Volunteer possibilities follow factual background about diseases. For example, Wandberg discusses HIV and AIDS for two pages before citing ways for teens to help fight AIDS. Volunteer efforts outlined in the community chapter focus on problems created by toxic hazards, natural disasters, and pollution, whereas the donation chapter discusses blood and organ donations. Quick information sections are highlighted throughout the reader-friendly text, including Fast Facts, Teen Talk, and Did You Know. Each volume is sprinkled liberally with colorful offsets and full-color photos, creating high visual appeal. The format is consistent—chapters open with a simple overview and end with reflective questions, the glossary gives pronunciation and definitions of key terms, and resources include further reading as well as useful Internet and other addresses. The topics discussed in this series are timely and valid. The simple and somewhat repetitive style of writing makes this set best suited as a reference series for middle school libraries or health classes. Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Further Reading. VOYA CODES: 3Q2P M (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2002, Capstone Press, 64p. PLB
— Mary Ann Darby