Youth Volunteering and Interpersonal Connections

When planning events with our youth leadership group, RYPAC, I noticed a common theme between the activities and community service projects the teens wanted to be involved with. All the teens wanted interpersonal activities. I think in our tech age, with all the facebook/my space, texting and indirect communication, teens are looking to activities where they can interact and build strong relationships.

This aspect of relationship building is essential for teens to have healthy relationships and a strong sense of self. Everyone needs to feel a part of a larger community and feel support. By having teens volunteer and engage in community building, youth service providers can help teens with healthy relationship building.

Another benefit of including teens in interpersonal community building activities enables them to feel efficacy, and see their direct impact. This can include whether participating in a homeless feed, going to a pet fair with senior citizens, or helping elementary students carve pumpkins, all of them can see direct benefits of their contributions.

As a last note, what else do you think this strong drive for interpersonal connections is about? Could it be lack of a strong family connection, feeling lonely, or having trouble with friends? Are there other ways we can help teens build stronger interpersonal relationships?