A successful volunteer program requires the right plan to incorporate volunteers into an organization’s overall mission. It is easy to place a dollar value on volunteers’ time, but most organizations ignore the broader strategy needed to manage volunteers appropriately, maximize their value, and develop a robust, sustainable volunteer program.
Working with youth can be both challenging and rewarding. Often, programs and community efforts focus on young people’s challenging or risky behaviors. We forget that youth can be valuable assets to our communities. Youth have the potential to make a positive contribution to the community when they are given the support, guidance, and opportunities to use and strengthen their skills. People who work with youth need to learn to recognize their talents and assets and build on those qualities to improve outcomes for youth as well as the community.