YOUTH VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
Volunteer service is an integral part of the NYEP’s housing program for several reasons. Being of service raises our resdients’ self-esteem, builds their confidence, creates an interest in our program and gives them a sense of “getting a life”. Good volunteer sites also greatly amplify the impact of our program by accessing more staff to supervise, teach and motivate our residents. Volunteer service sites are very cost-effective and can often be arranged very quickly for a new resident.
Residents can easily understand its importance as a way to pay back to the community for their care, a way to learn and practice new job skills, a way to enjoy work and have the satisfaction of helping others, a way to learn and practice the skills of good communication, planning, calendar management, proper attire and social skills crucial for a successful career, and a way to locate paid employment.
NYEP will develop and maintain a pool of qualified volunteer sites. Some sites will be utilized as quick fill-in spots for residents needing a week or two of volunteering while others will be chosen as a long-term opportunity for a particular teen. NYEP’s goal is to schedule each resident for 15-40 hours weekly. Thus, a resident might have one, two or three volunteer sites, depending on availability and required travel time.
A good experience at a good site will produce a good bottom line: a young person who loves going, doing the work, develops success skills and feels good about herself for having helped others so much.
We will attempt to develop volunteer sites close to our residence. Residents need to be told of NYEP’s requirement of volunteering before deciding to join our program. This requirement should be no surprise to a new resident. We will assertively supervise each resident’s volunteer work from start to finish. We will solicit performance feedback from supervisors, co-workers, customers and the resident herself. This will enable us to track progress and provide timely feedback so that successes are acknowledged and concerns are addressed and resolved quickly.
A volunteer job deserves the same serious commitment as any paid employment. We will help residents create their volunteer schedule and ensure that they follow it. Schedule changes may be made, not impulsively, but through a planned process. An inability to participate in our volunteer program would be a reason to refuse admission to an applicant to NYEP.