How Volunteering Improves Life Skills

Volunteer opportunities can help develop important life skills while simultaneously benefiting our mental health. Having ties to your community is a great way to build a support system, assist those who need it, improve your self-confidence, and more. Here at our academy, we strongly believe in having our students participate in volunteer work to allow them to gain life skills and work on communicating with others effectively. 

Why Volunteering is Important

Whether it’s creating a canned food drive for your local charity or offering to pick up trash in a local park, one thing is for sure: volunteering can provide multiple benefits to different areas of your life no matter who you are. 

Volunteering benefits: 

1. Builds community 
2. Increases social skills
3. Improves communication skills
4. Helps with self-esteem
5. Teaches valuable hands-on experiences 

Volunteering can make you a happier, more productive person while giving you the chance to make meaningful connections with those you work alongside and the people you are helping. Additionally, it can teach you valuable life skills that you can take with you throughout your life. Volunteering as a teen can help you transition into the adult workforce and give you the necessary job skills that could give you a better chance at obtaining a job.

When looking for volunteering opportunities take note that it does not have to be a 6-month project. Simply providing education to the public about important issues in your community can also help you gain insight into the importance of committing your time to others. 

Opportunities for Eva Carlston Students

At Eva Carlston Academy, our students participate in volunteering experiences throughout the year. We believe that it helps them develop the invaluable life skills they need when they transition out of our program. We want to equip our students with the knowledge of how to communicate effectively, be confident individuals, and have project management skills. We ensure to make the activities fun and inclusive to tailor to specific interests. 

• Utah Arts Festival Children’s Art Yard: This is several month projects of creating art installments and then volunteering to mentor children in an immersive art experience at the Utah Arts Festival
• Tracy Aviary: Eva Carlston students volunteer to help with ground beautification such as garbage pick-up, planting flowers, and pulling weeds. They have also volunteered to help patrons as ushers at bird shows, answering questions, and general customer service
• Adaptive Basketball: Students volunteer at a local adaptive basketball organization for those who are in a wheelchair.
• Salt Lake Parks and Rec: Volunteer to do park cleanup
• Waste Wise Salt Lake City: Students volunteer at the salt lake farmers market to encourage/help patrons sort their garbage into different recycle bins available at the market

From the Utah Arts Festival to helping in an Adaptive Basketball Organization, our students truly get a wide variety of exposure to different opportunities. At Eva Carlston Academy, we strive to give our students the chance to have a positive volunteering experience that can help their mental health and become a learning moment.