The Benefits of Volunteering as a Student (Featuring the Young Men’s Service League)

Members of the Lake Austin and Westlake chapters of the Young Men’s Service League volunteer with Keep Austin Fed and nonprofits throughout Austin.

Back to school is a time of change, new beginnings, and creating routines. While there are many tips and tricks for learning new material and getting better grades, one of the best habits for back to school success is volunteering. Volunteering aids students’ overall development by building their self confidence, developing their problem solving and communication skills, and getting to know their communities better.

In Austin, students have a plethora of organizations and types of volunteer work to choose from. Students can clean up parks, walk shelter animals, or prepare free meals. At Keep Austin Fed, students have the opportunity to redistribute surplus food to hungry Austinites by completing a food rescue, sorting food donations, or helping with a community giveaway. 

Students can volunteer with Keep Austin Fed independently or through a volunteer group. The Young Men’s Service League, which facilitates four years of community service for moms and their high school-aged sons, has several Austin-based chapters that volunteer regularly with Keep Austin Fed. Keep Austin Fed’s flexible schedule and variety of food rescues make it easy for students to fit volunteering into their busy school schedules or foster deeper community connections during the long summer months. 

Volunteering in any form is a powerful tool to teach students about helping others. “[Volunteering] instills that internal desire to give back and to do good in the world and exposes [students] to situations that they might not otherwise see,” said Allison Johnson, President of the Westlake chapter of YMSL and a Keep Austin Fed board member. “It’s a great way for them to understand what the needs are in the community and that if we’re not addressing those needs, then these people aren’t being helped.”

The responsibility of volunteering also helps students develop independence and learn to work well with others. Students are then able to carry these vital skills forward into higher education or the professional world. “It’s the idea of spending this time together and learning and practicing these things before, you know, we shove them off to college or whatever they’re doing in the future,” said Megan Butler, VP of Philanthropy of the Lake Austin chapter of YMSL. 

Although the back-to-school season can be pretty hectic, Allison Johnson encourages students to just give volunteering a try and be open to the experiences that come with it. “You just have to be persistent with it,” she says. “You’ll really find meaning on the other side if you just stick with it.”