Resource Library
IDEA SETVolunteering
Volunteering
Get ideas for opportunities to donate your time to worthy causes.
Grades
K, 1 - 12+
Subjects
Experiential Learning
Photograph courtesy Kathleen Schwille
Get ideas for opportunities to volunteer in your community. Little actions can have big impacts on your state, country, or even the world!
Take a Vacation
Love to travel? Like volunteering? Why not do both? You could help take care of orphaned lions at a wildlife refuge or help archeologists excavate tools. Check out this list of suggestions from National Geographic Traveler to get you started on your plans.
Earth Day Celebration
Host an Earth Day celebration on your block. Organize a block party and share your concerns about the local environment with your neighbors. After the party, organize a group to go out and pick up trash, work on a neighbor's garden, or help maintain a local greenway.
Help Clean Up Beaches and Waterways
Volunteer with the International Coastal Cleanup.
Help Clean Up Public Lands
Start a tradition to volunteer to clean up public land once a month. Begin on a National Public Lands Day.
Pledge to Recycle
Have students sign a pledge to recycle and reduce waste together as a class. Encourage other classes to do the same and raise awareness of recycling in your school.
Improve Your Neighborhood
Make your neighborhood a better place. Volunteer to do things like pick up trash or repair playground equipment.
Organize a Service Project
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) supplies several do-it-yourself toolkits to turn community service initiatives into community projects. Come up with a service idea with your class. Then turn it into your own community service project.
Stop Cigarette Litter
Did you know that 32% of litter at storm drains is tobacco products? Learn more about the harmful impacts of cigarette litter and have your class take action to help stop it. You can start a Cigarette Litter Prevention Program in your own community to decrease the environmental and economic impacts of cigarette litter.
Hold a Yard Sale
Put together a yard sale for your classroom, school, or community. Encourage students to bring in things they no longer need and swap with each other. Or get parents involved and make it school-wide.
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Last Updated
October 21, 2022
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