Between extracurricular activities, clubs and school, teenagers often have to find time to volunteer. Nowadays, many communities in the Palm Beach area are laden with volunteer opportunities for all ages. There is increasing variety in the nonprofits available to area teens, whether it is working with Jupiter’s El Soul soup kitchen or making bracelets to support cancer patients at Hugs & Kisses in Royal Palm Beach.
Going into the community to volunteer is extremely beneficial. It teaches volunteers how to look beyond themselves and work in the service of a noble cause. However, many teenagers who want to give back to their communities struggle to find organizations in their area. Oxbridge Academy student Alex Wong is no stranger to volunteer work. Along with a group of fellow Oxbridge students, Wong established Worldizen.org, a volunteer directory.
Worldizen works to provide students with local nonprofit volunteer opportunities in their area.
The network includes 12 categories with 90 volunteer opportunities, each containing a different range of service, depending on the student’s area of interest. Worldizen works closely with student volunteering organizations in 16 schools, including both middle and high schools throughout Palm Beach County, to raise awareness of local community service projects.
“Having experienced a volunteer program fail from a lack of awareness, I am personally invested in solving this issue. With our unique focus on the volunteer experience, Worldizen is our solution to this gap of knowledge,” Wong said.
The Worldizen team prides itself on finding and making volunteer opportunists available for viewing on the web site.
Visit www.worldizen.org for more information.
