Motivating Students to Volunteer

Motivating Students to Volunteer

Students today have become laid back and try not to volunteer. When the teacher asks for hands to volunteer, students may typically try to hide behind piles of books or not even attend class that day.

This is a serious problem as volunteering is an important aspect of a young adult's development. And how fair is it to ask the same students to volunteer again and again? You need to devise certain ways to make sure that your students are encouraged to volunteer.

You can't obviously pay your kids to volunteer since that goes against the complete concept of volunteering. It's good to come up with other ways to incentivize your students to want to give back. Unfortunately, not all people, let alone children, are apt to go out and do something for someone else.

Try to create a volunteering point system in class. Put up a chart in class that has the name of all the students on it. Now, every time a student volunteers, it should be indicated on the chart. Make this chart as creative, colorful and attractive as possible. You can also use simple things like stars, stickers, petals, etc. to decorate the chart. Define a target, like 10 stars in two semesters and provide an incentive when a student reaches that target. Alternatively, you can give a Certificate of Volunteer at the end of the year.

Another trick would be to divide the class into volunteering groups. Volunteering duties can be rotated in these groups so that all the students get a chance to volunteer. You can also create a sense of competition and make it fun for the entire class. This can work for any age group and is surely effective when students want to compete to win something.

Another way to motivate the other students to volunteer is to praise the volunteer in glowing terms. Shower extra attention on the volunteering student. This kind of extra fuss and attention would motivate the others to volunteer also.

If more volunteering inflates the students' grades, then students would be encouraged to participate in any relevant programs. Everyone wants to get good grades and if there is a way to make sure of increasing your grade in a particular class, most students would take that opportunity.

Using all these tips can be quite effective in motivating your students to volunteer. Instill in the students the spirit of volunteering and mention how important it is.