Many home educated students gain great satisfaction from volunteering their time. Older students can volunteer in their own right, whilst younger students may accompany a parent or sibling, or volunteer in their own home. Home ed students have shared some of their volunteer experience on our page called Stories of Volunteering and Work Experience.

Whilst many students start volunteering because they see that there’s a need in their local community, they often come to realise that they are also benefiting from the experience. Benefits include

• Gaining knowledge and skills
• Satisfaction from helping others
• Increased confidence
• Realising that their volunteer position has given them insight into career opportunities (or has lead directly to an offer of employment)

Home educated students have volunteered in so many ways, including:

• At church/mosque/temple
• Helping friends by teaching or babysitting their children when parents have appointments etc
• Attending events as a volunteer support person for a friend with a disability
• Caring for neighbour’s pets and gardens
• Joining the CFA or SES
• Helping at youth group
• Joining packing days for food banks or creating snack packs for volunteer firefighters
• Caring for injured wildlife
• Youth Ambassador at the Shrine of Remembrance
• Becoming a leader/helper at Scouts or Guides
• Visiting a housebound person weekly
• Visiting aged care facilities with a vocal/musical group to provide entertainment
• Fostering animals
• Helping out at a local historical society

It may help to sit with your teen and work out what they’d like to do, and if there are any volunteer opportunities to help them meet personal goals.