Teens on a Break

What do you do with bored kids who are too old for kiddie art but too young for college? Get them involved in a more grown-up way.

Summertime and the living is easy? Not necessarily if you have a teenager who’s too old for a 417-land day camp, but too young to work. How can you help your teenagers get a break from algebra and historical facts and still fill their summer with something more meaningful than an electronic coma? Check out these ideas for trading the Wii for something much more satisfying: giving back to their fellow 417-landers.

Get Back to Nature

Especially appealing to parents with technology-addicted teenagers, the Springfield Nature Center offers a Teen Club aimed at connecting kids ages 12 to 17 to the outdoors.

It’s a passion for Alan Reed, Teen Club sponsor. “If we can get kids this age to connect to nature and the outdoors, it can become a lifetime hobby or even career,” says Reed. “Giving teenagers the chance to reconnect with nature can give them a sense of peace and teach them awareness of the balance of nature.”

The Teen Club hosts a variety of monthly activities from floating, fishing, hiking, wildlife journaling, camping, exploring and snorkeling. There is no fee for this club, so it fills up fast.

Get Involved:
Reservations are open the first day of every month. The club can only take 14 kids for each activity. Call the Springfield Nature Center at 417-888-4237.

Medical Adventures

Both Cox and St. John’s offer volunteer programs for teenagers age 14 and older. While the programs differ slightly (mostly on administrative issues), they both offer a great chance for kids to give back to the community and get some real world experience at the same time. Kids can complete a variety of tasks, including working for the various business offices, gift shops, Children’s Miracle Network and some nursing units.

The Medical Explorer program at both hospitals is a shadowing program for kids who might be interested in exploring medical careers. While the educational benefits are obvious, teenagers can contribute significant value to these organizations.

“It would be difficult to function without volunteers,” says Barth Fraker, Cox volunteer coordinator. “Most of our students come to us wanting to help people. In many instances, they or a family member have gone through an illness. They see people going through the same thing, and they want to give back.”

Get Involved:

Cox junior volunteer and Medical Explorers program
Contact Barth Fraker, 417-269-4169

St. John’s volunteer program
Contact Jerri Falke, 417-820-2041
St. John’s Medical Explorers
Contact Deanne Manning, 417-820-2771

Giving Back Through Golf

The Price Cutter Charity Championship, which is one of the nationwide Tour’s largest events, stops in Springfield July 14 to 20. The event raises money for 42 local children’s charities. Last year alone, it raised $650,000.

Because of the magnitude of this event, it requires lots of volunteers, and teenagers are welcome, says volunteer coordinator Sharyn Wagoner. Teenagers can work in hospitality, admissions and other areas. If they have golf knowledge they can be a standard bearer or even a walking scorer.

Get Involved:
Call the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-887-3400 or visit pricecuttercc.org, and download a volunteer application.

Ronald McDonald House

“Teenagers like to get their friends together and help out,” says Staci Holland, Ronald McDonald house manager. “They like the mission of our organization, but they also realize that volunteering helps with college admissions.”

The home serves nearly 400 families a year, so there are plenty of volunteer opportunities. The house needs help with family dinners for resident families, their annual tour of homes, mailing fundraisers, the Share-a-Heart campaign and the pediatric kitchen at Cox hospital. If your teenager doesn’t mind getting dirty, house cleaning and outdoor projects are also available.

Get Involved:
Call Donnetta Ghys, associate house manager, at 417-875-3501.

Volunteer to Work

Depending on federal guidelines, some local businesses can hire or accept volunteer teenagers younger than 16. Chick-fil-A Store Manager Steve Lowry works with younger kids to develop future work skills. It’s a path he’s familiar with, having started himself with Chick-fil-A at the young age of 15.

Get Involved:
Involve your teen in the research process. Have them make a list and call businesses they show interest in to find out their hiring and volunteer guidelines.

Vacation Bible School

Most 417-land churches offer some type of vacation Bible school during the summer months. These weeklong events take tons of volunteers. So, if your teenagers like working with kids and want to feed their spiritual sides, tell them to get out the phone book and start calling. They can expect some classroom safety training requirements, but what a fun and cool way to revisit those younger crafty years.

Get Involved:
Start by calling churches near you to see if they have vacation Bible schools and need helpers.

The bottom line for teenage summer activities is variety. Pick and choose several different activities, and build a light schedule. This will hold your teen’s interest, detach them from their electronics and still give them time for a much needed summer break.

417mag.com exclusive:

Get Creative

Transportation can be a problem for working parents. In these instances, consider some creative ideas that eliminate the “taxi driver” impact on a parent’s daily schedule.

Help your teens start a book club with their friends. Have them talk to their school librarian about three or four good book choices for their age group. Make sure they are leading the planning process, picking locations and books that they are interested in. If your teens feel ownership of the process, they’ll be more likely to stick with it and meet several times during the summer.

Home-based summer businesses or research assignments are other ways to keep teens off the couch and involved in creating something of their own. Support their interests by creating a research project on a topic of their choosing. This gets them away from the television or Facebook, but still gives them access to technology.

Setting up babysitting, lawn care and pet-sitting businesses can keep your teens busy and give them a chance to earn their own money. Guide them, but don’t get caught up doing it for them. Suggest that they thoroughly plan out their business goals, client contacts and pricing structure. Make sure they put together advertising or brochures, and then let them use the computer to keep track of their clients and earnings.