Introduction

Human including teens are social beings. The family, school and community environment play an important role in developing social and living skills among teenagers. Participating, involving and volunteering in community activities not only gives benefit to the community but also have enormous benefits to you, your family and society. Teenagers who engage in community activities will harness their communication, leadership, negotiation, planning, organizational and managerial skills. Below are some tips to help teens reach out and contribute to their community.

Tips for Teens to Contribute in the Community

1. Choose activities that you are passionate about, that you can enjoy, make friends, gain new experience and contribute productively at the same time.

2. Begin with your family and neighborhood. Identify resources available within your community such as basket ball or badminton court, community hall, community gymnasium etc where you can plan some sport or other social activities with your friends. It is good to do activities in group as this can build teamwork, connectedness, leadership, management and other social skills with your peers.

3. Get to know the people in your community. An easy way to contribute is to attend or participate in your community’s events such as neighborhood weddings, family day, sporting activities, religious gathering etc. You will be surprise at the number of new friends and networkings you can make during these events.

4. Volunteer in any community projects such as gotong-royong, kenduri, family day events, religious gatherings  or other social activities conducted by your family, neighbors or local community such as by helping to set up the place, arranging chairs, sending out invitations, serving food  or entertaining guests.

5. Organize your own youth projects with a group of friends to contribute to society such as visit to a local shelter homes and orphanages  to spend time with the less privileged. You would be surprise at how grateful and meaningful these little act of kindness is. It can also boost your own confidence, self esteem, leadership skill and sense of accomplishment.

6. You can also enroll yourself as member in various established youth clubs or programs established  by the government, universities, NGOs or private sectors such as 1M4U, Youth Ambassadors, Rakan Muda, PROSTAR, Doktor Muda and PROSIS. Involvement in these programmes can provide you ample opportunities to contribute towards society based on your personal interest.

7. Be proactive and offer your services. Many agencies, non government organizations and private companies are willing to harness youth ideas and energy in short term projects. You can ask around or search the website for any advertisement in your field of interest. This short-term part-time volunteer work/ job experience may expand your knowledge and skills which may be an advantage in future career.

8. However, a word of caution, before embarking on any projects or activities, please check the authenticity of any online advertisement or information given online with reliable sources  to ensure you will not be victims any illegal activities.

9. Make sure you discuss with your parents/family or trusted adult before embarking in any activities / projects. You may gain valuable insights, advise and guidance in the process.

Conclusion

There are many areas in which teenagers can reach out and contribute to the community and world at large. These can be activities planned by teenagers themselves or by their participation in meaningful activities through clubs, societies, social activities or job stints. Engaging in healthy productive community activities will widens their experiences, life skills, increase their networking, honed leadership skills and give them opportunities and career. With the advent of technology and ICT, the right knowledge, skills and attitude, the opportunities for teenagers to contribute in their communities are limitless. The more you give, the more you get. Let teenagers be part of the world solution and not its problem.