Perspectives in Teen Volunteering

by Mahir and Zenith
​Generation SERVE Summer Residents

​Hi! My name is Mahir and I’ve been with Generation SERVE for a little more than 4 years. I began my time with the organization as just a family volunteer in 8th grade. Previously, I had never volunteered before as I never really knew how. I had a very rudimentary understanding of the effect volunteering could have. Plus, I didn’t know any accessible avenues to provide my time to help the community. It was Generation SERVE, or Little Helping Hands at the time, that provided not only me, but thousands of other families easy access to make their community a happier place. In addition, the organization taught me the impact I could have on others by simply spending a small amount of my free time. It could be temporarily ending the hunger of struggling individuals to just putting a smile on an elderly individual's face. No matter how small the impact, Generation SERVE put the tools in my hands to make our community better, step by step.

A year of volunteering has gone by since my start in the organization. I wanted to offer my services to the organization that had done so much to better our community. So that summer, I enrolled into the Youth Leadership Program. The program did so much more than train me to lead volunteer activities. It showed me the capabilities I had as a 15-year-old teenager to help causes I believed in. Furthermore, it gave me a chance to demonstrate those capabilities. The rest of the teens and I in the program were able to raise around $3,500 worth of school supplies—by organizing a raffle and simply asking for donations—for families experiencing a rough time. The kids who received these supplies now had a better chance to better their education, so they could better the lives of their families. This right here was a crucial lesson I learned from Generation SERVE. Every dollar donated is invested to give someone a chance at a more joyful life. The amazing thing though was that a group of teenagers had the ability to invest that money in the futures of hundreds of school kids.

From there, I joined the Teen Advisory Board (TAB). This empowered me to have my voice, and the voices of dozens of other teens, to be heard on what we believe we can do to help those in our community. At the start, this included teaching kids at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired on how they could raise funds for the Guide Dogs of Texas, and discussing with Amare our experiences with the status of the mental health of teenagers. From there we moved on to organizing our own Teen Service Days, so teens around the city could see what volunteering is about, selling our own merchandise to invest back into the nonprofit, and even creating our own (TAB) social media account to show the public what we’re doing. Moreover, I was elected Board Liaison of TAB. In short, I was the teen representative on the actual board of Generation SERVE. This gave me the opportunity to speak on how we teens wanted to help.

Now as Summer Resident, I get to be a part of one of many gears that help this wonderful organization run. I get to help work on the material to train the teens and write this very blog post to y’all. As I’ll be attending the University of Texas at Austin this fall, I hope to continue being a part of this organization that has not only given to the community so much, but also nurtured me into a community-minded leader.

Even with the current state of the world, Generation SERVE does not stop helping our community. Teen Service Days not only make vital masks for our community, but also continue to introduce teens to volunteerism. Whether it be in-person or online this organization continues to engage children in volunteerism and empower them to make a difference in their communities. Being a part of the Teen Program of Generation SERVE has taught me that I, too, have the potential to invest my time into a happier community. I look forward to how I can use my position to help those around me so they can have a well-being that’s a bit more joyful.

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Hi! My name is Zenith and I was the Networking Committee Chair for the Teen Advisory Board here at Generation SERVE. On the Networking Committee, we primarily made Teen Service Days, which were in-person events made by teens exclusively for teens to meet and hangout with each other. Since the start of quarantine, we have shifted from in-person Teen Service Days to virtual Teen Service Days, which are now weekly and a booming success since they focus on current issues and how to help the community during these difficult times. My terms as the Networking Committee Chair and TAB member had ended in May and since then, I am now a Summer Resident for Generation SERVE. What does that mean? Well, if I’m going to be honest, it’s my way of extending the time I’ve had with Generation SERVE and stubbornly refusing to say goodbye, even though I will eventually have to in August.

Generation SERVE has been important to me for one reason: the people. Volunteering enables me to have an impact on whoever I meet wherever I go. Before Generation SERVE, I was unsure of everything. I couldn’t even begin to imagine my future, let alone think about my career and networking. I was scared and terrified of what my future could entail. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to make a difference. It wasn’t until I met a current lead at Generation SERVE who encouraged me to apply for the Youth Leadership Program. The rest, as you can already tell, is history. Now, I am a leader in my own community and have an opportunity to expand myself. I have been able to learn and adapt in a safe environment while still growing, and meeting with other people and organizations.

I have grown a lot since joining this organization; I am stronger, more outgoing, and am able to speak up on my own ideas because of the various opportunities I am given. Generation SERVE delivers their promise to help teens develop passions and feel empowered enough to finally take on a leadership role in our communities, and I am a prime example of that. After joining Generation SERVE, I joined the TEDxYouth@Austin team, where the team holds an annual youth conference with TED talks. This past year, we had one of the largest Austin youth conferences at the Long Center this past year. Additionally, I took a huge role of leadership when I joined the Texas Future Business Leaders of America State Officer Team as a Vice President. It was my responsibility to guide schools to competition and prepare workshops for them, much like the training Generation SERVE does during the Teen Leadership Program. All of this, thanks to the guidance and help from the Generation SERVE team and mentors.

​It feels so weird to be saying goodbye to a volunteering era from behind a screen. It almost doesn’t even feel real, as if I’ll converse and interact with the TAB members, the mentors, and Generation SERVE after next month, when I’ll only see glimpses.

In the upcoming school year, I will be attending the University of Texas at Austin, studying Management Information Systems at the McCombs School of Business. Since I will still be in town, I know my ties and connection to Generation SERVE will only get stronger as I continue to utilize and grow upon the skills I have learned in my time here.