September 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 52

burlap. Youth-designed, -manufactured and -installed " apple catchers "
have since prevented the fallen fruit
from littering the creek.
Many of the youth Wessels works
with are what she calls " youth on
the margins. " These teens may be
involved with the juvenile justice
system or are otherwise at-risk. In
these cases, Seattle's youth service
programs provide an opportunity
for personal growth and engagement
with the community. Some program
participants are even eligible to earn
a stipend for their work.
" By participating in our youth employment and service learning programs, teens are exposed to hands-on
work, sometimes for the first time, "
Wessels says. " They are then often
inspired to better understand their environment and their community, and
they take so much pride in the work
that they do. "
A Variety of Teen Volunteer
Opportunities in Alameda, California
The City of Alameda, California, offers a diverse array of opportunities
for teen volunteers to earn their required 20 hours of community service
for high school graduation. According
to Christina Bailey, recreation services
specialist at Alameda's Recreation
and Parks Department, each of her
agency's programs fills a unique need
for people in the community.
Operation Green Sweep, for example, is a program for middle- and
high-school students to shadow staff
at park sites and help with weeding,
planting and park beautification and
cleanup projects. The Teen Volunteer
Program offers outgoing teens the opportunity to work with younger kids at
after-school and summer programs at
Alameda's recreation centers, teaching swim lessons or leading activities
at day camps or after-school programs. Participants in both programs

Given the opportunity, youth volunteers
can develop creative solutions to your
park's challenges. Seattle teens created
" apple catchers " to prevent fallen fruit from
entering a local creek in Carkeek Park.

undergo an application process, and
Teen Volunteer Program applicants
must also interview and attend a training session before volunteering.
The Alameda Youth Committee is
a leadership development and volunteer program for teens in the community to plan and coordinate activities
and events for their peers, including a
teen talent show, an annual haunted
house, dances and day trips. These
highly engaged and motivated teens
complete an in-depth application
and interview process before joining
the committee and participate in two
meetings each month, in addition to
their event coordination duties.
In Alameda and other communities,
it is not uncommon for teen volunteers
to eventually work their way up to agency staff. Volunteering as a teenager is a
great way to try out a career field, and
working with teen volunteers allows
agency staff the chance to cultivate
future employees. Bailey herself was
a former teen volunteer in Alameda's
aquatics program. " I started out taking
swim lessons and eventually wanted to
volunteer, " she says. " I then undertook
some specialized training, and ended
up working for the Department. "
Teen Service Program Tips for Parks
Are you ready to start a teen service pro-

gram in your park or recreation center,
or are you thinking of ways to grow an
existing program? Here are a few strategies and best practices from the field:
&RQVLGHU DQ LGHDO VWXGHQWWR
DGXOW UDWLR IRU \RXU SURMHFW. For
example, the City of Rockville uses
a ratio of 1:8 for their Nature Service Learning Camp.
$VN SRWHQWLDO WHHQ YROXQWHHUV WR
DSSO\ RU LQWHUYLHZ. A brief interview can tell you a lot about the
applicant's interests and intentions
and add to the volunteer's experience in terms of gaining job skills.
3URYLGHRSSRUWXQLWLHVIRUVWXGHQWV
RIPXOWLSOHDELOLW\VNLOODQGFRP
IRUWOHYHOV. A trail or creek cleanup
project may be a great opportunity
for students who are comfortable in
the outdoors, while others may be
better suited to working with young
children.
/HDUQDERXWVHUYLFHUHTXLUHPHQWVDW
\RXUORFDOVFKRROVDQGSXEOLFL]HYRO
XQWHHURSSRUWXQLWLHVWKURXJKVFKRRO
FKDQQHOV. Many park and recreation
agencies tap into high school graduation requirements to identify and
recruit teen volunteers and may even
be listed in school publications as a
provider of service opportunities.
3URYLGH PHDQLQJIXO RSSRUWXQLWLHV
IRU \RXWK YROXQWHHUV. Young people want interesting, engaging and
meaningful service opportunities.
Challenge them and provide opportunities where they can make a tangible difference in their community.
6KDUH \RXU DJHQF\·V FKDOOHQJ
HV ZLWK \RXU WHHQ YROXQWHHUV DQG
HPSRZHU WKHP WR FRPH XS ZLWK
VROXWLRQV. Entrusting your teen volunteers to help you address the real
problems you face could result in
creative solutions while helping the
youth develop problemsolving skills
and a deep sense of self-efficacy.
Jessica Culverhouse is NRPA's Senior Manager
of Fundraising (jculverhouse@nrpa.org).

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September 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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