Volunteers for a Season

June 30, 2010

Kara Powell
Kara Powell

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I had a great meeting with an urban youth leader last week who is leading an after school program with kids.  There are 3 foci for the after school program:  tutoring, mentoring, and enrichment.  The first two foci require adults who will invest in kids on a long-term basis.  But the enrichment part of the ministry gives adults a chance to volunteer for a shorter-term commitment.

Adults who have skills in the area of art, dance, cooking, or creative writing can volunteer to “enrich” kids lives with ten weeks of lessons.  By this ten week commitment, adults who couldn’t volunteer 52 weeks/year can still impact kids.

Obviously, kids need adults who will invest in them every week for the long-haul.  But in creating a constellation of adults who care about kids, I love this creative, more short-term way to connect kids with adults.  It’s an important piece of the intergenerational web that we have seen make a real difference with kids.

©2010 Fuller Youth Institute

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  • http://christinarobertson.com Christina

    Kara, this makes complete sense. People are more likely to volunteer if their commitment is short term. It’s less scary than a three year commitment and more tangible. I have been wondering in what other areas of ministry can we incorporate this idea. As a youth worker trying to recruit volunteers for Sunday Morning Services or midweek small groups, I wonder if this idea could work in those areas as well. Could it be leading seminars on a Sunday Morning? Helping a small group do a team building project?

    The great thing about the shorter commitments is that many who start volunteering for a short period of time end up continuing on and committing for a longer period.

  • http://www.fulleryouthinstitute.org Kara Powell

    Good point, Christina. Often short-term volunteering can be a foot in the door to something longer-term. And of course, we do need long-term volunteers also to build ongoing relationships with kids. But I do think we could be more creative in thinking of more diverse ways adults can connect with kids. Thanks for your comment!

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