Why volunteer work is good for teens with disability, autism, ADHD or other additional needs
As your child moves through the teenage years, you and your child might start to think about future work.
Volunteering can be a great way for your child to prepare for work. Volunteering can help your child:
- learn what’s expected in the workplace
- find out what sort of work interests them
- build workplace skills like teamwork, time management and punctuality
- gain confidence in the workplace and their own abilities
- build a resumé – your child could ask for a certificate of involvement
- meet people who might be contacts for future job opportunities
- learn about the workplace support they need to do a job well.
When your child volunteers, it also gives organisations the chance to get to know your child and their interests, strengths and needs. This might help if your child wants to apply for paid positions at any of the places they volunteer.
The more experience your child can get in the workplace, the better prepared they’ll be to find work and stay in work when they finish education.
How to find the right volunteer work for your teen
You can find the right volunteer job for your child by thinking about what your child likes to do and what they’re good at. For example, your child might be keen on coding, being outdoors, playing sport, working with numbers, meeting people, cooking or spending time with animals.
Your child can look for volunteer opportunities that tap into their interests. These might include:
- conservation or gardening
- animal care and welfare
- aged and disability visitor programs
- food programs
- sports coaching
- museum work
- English as a second language programs.
It might also be worth looking for organisations that have reputations for supporting volunteers or employees with additional needs. These might include not-for-profit companies or peak disability organisations.
It’s also important to consider the workplace environment – for example, whether the physical environment is accessible, whether the organisation will make adjustments for additional needs, and how the organisation treats volunteers.
How to find volunteering opportunities
Here are ways to find volunteering work:
- Talk to family and friends about opportunities in your local area. Your local council will have information on volunteering opportunities too.
- Use websites like Go Volunteer or Seek Volunteer to search for volunteer jobs based on interest and location.
- Look at the websites of organisations that work on specific causes – for example, conservation volunteers or the RSPCA.
- Ask your child’s school about helping your child to find a volunteering or work experience placement.
- Ask family and friends if they know of or could create a volunteering opportunity for your child.
You can also check out state-based volunteering websites, which help to match volunteers with volunteering groups and opportunities: