A teen wants to be a part of society. A child hardly ever bothers about what others think about him. He is innocent, straight forward and says and does what he feels. However, as he enters his teens, he becomes aware of himself as a human being and wants to be loved and accepted by society. In order to foster this sense of belonging and make a teenager feel accepted, teen involvement in community services are introduced in quite a few schools all over the world. Some schools require teenagers to complete a certain number of hours of community service before they graduate. Certain other schools merely encourage teen involvement in community services.



The community services that are carried out by students are on a voluntary basis. The teenagers are not paid any money. Also the service should be such that it should benefit the entire community. Working for a single person is therefore not considered as community services.

There are many advantages in motivating teenagers to teen involvement in community services. Teenagers are going through that phase in life when they want to try out new experiences. All their excess energy and enthusiasm, if not properly channeled could be detrimental to them. Getting teens involved in community services keeps them busy and helps them to stay focused on work.

A teen wants independence. He wants to prove himself to the world. When he takes up community service, he is required to be responsible, take decisions and face the consequences of his decisions. The community services program provides him with decision making skills and makes him a responsible person.

A teen wants to establish his own identity. During these years, he looks for a role model. When a teen involvement in community services is done he interacts much more with adults and watches them at work. He is able to judge adults better and he is able to understand his place in society and his individual identity. Community services could also help a teenager choose his career. For example, if the teenager is involved in community services in a library, he might decide to become a librarian.

Community services prepare a teenager to face the world and he provides him with skills like social interaction, management of resources, problem solving, critical thinking etc which will help him when he takes up a profession. It gives him an idea of how an organization works and the realities he will have to face once he enters the job market.

A teen wants his peers to accept and appreciate him. He also wants adults to respect him. Community services help a teen to work hard and shine thereby gaining the approval of the adults involved in the community service and his peers.

Community services therefore help to satisfy teen wants and make the teenager a better human being. Encouraging teen involvement in community services is a must for all parents.