As the weather heats up, teens start looking forward to the summer break from school. Help prepare your teen for the transition from the structure of the school year to the wide open schedule of summertime. Offer your teen plenty of options for activities to prevent boredom and risky behavior.  By researching summer opportunities now, you'll help your teen establish reasonable summer expectations.

Summer Employment
Help your teen look for a safe, rewarding summer job. Teens can work at camps for younger kids, at summer facilities such as swimming pools or in restaurants. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, almost 30 percent of food and drink employees are under the age of 20. Landscaping and lawn service are also popular jobs for teens during the summer. Contact your teen’s employer to verify the safety and validity of the position.

Summer Camps
If your teen is younger, try looking into a summer camp or overnight camp. In this case, your teen should be able to give you input regarding her interests. Sending a teen to a camp she doesn’t want to attend is an unnecessary punishment. Look into camps that teach specific skills or adventure camps that incorporate travel and physical fitness.

Summer Volunteering
High school students are required to complete a certain number of volunteer hours to graduate. Service organizations and other clubs often require additional hours. The summer is the perfect time to get in a good chunk of volunteer time. Help your teen look into short term volunteering opportunities, such as work for local animal shelters or with service organization with summer activities.

Summer Travel
Older teens may have the opportunity to travel during the summer. If your teen is driving to his destination, share safe driving tips and help your teen navigate the safest routes. Discourage teens from driving while sleepy and help map out safe places to stay the night on longer trips. Look into opportunities for teens to spend summer time with extended family for a safe, budget-friendly chance to travel.

Summer Homework and School
Unfortunately, homework can’t be entirely ignored over the summer. Encourage teens to read and to work on skills needed for the upcoming school year. The summer is a good chance to take test prep courses and specialized courses such as driver’s education. If your teen has to complete or retake basic courses during summer, give her opportunities to unwind so she doesn’t feel left out of summer fun.

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Volunteer work is about spending time doing something to help others out but not expecting anything in return. While the payoff doesn’t come in the form of cash, like most summer jobs, volunteering can be rewarding in so many ways.

College Applications: The most practical benefit of volunteer work is as a resume builder. The competition for top colleges is steeper than ever. Applicants with volunteer work experience are valuable to any college or university. It shows a commitment to making the community a better place. You will stand out among other students if you have volunteer work listed on any application.

Real-Life Experience: Many volunteer opportunities require teenagers to learn new skills. Volunteers may learn carpentry through Habitat for Humanity or cooking through a soup kitchen. The skills learned through volunteer work may be useful later in life. Volunteers might also discover a calling to a career they had never thought about before. For instance, volunteering as a candy striper in a hospital might reveal medicine as a future career. You can get a true feeling of what the real world is like without making a full commitment to an area of work.

Emotional Satisfaction: Volunteering gives you a sense of well-being. Knowing you have made a difference in someone’s life is inspiring and comforting. Volunteer work can build self-esteem and pride in yourself. These positive emotions are bound to rub off on those around you as well.

Meeting New People: Through volunteering, you will meet many like-minded people. You can make new friends who share your same values. The time you spend together doing good work will create a special bond. You may meet some of the most important people in your life through volunteer work.

Professional contacts can also be made through volunteering. If you coach a youth sports league, for instance, you become part of a whole network of families in the community. The more people you know in different areas, the more resources you have when looking for help, information or even a job in the future.

So use some of your free time this summer to volunteer. Make a difference in the lives of others, build your resume, learn real-life skills, feel proud of yourself and meet new people. Volunteering is one of the best things you can do to build a better future for yourself and those around you. Join us at LiveFree! today and take a step in the right direction for yourself and your community!

Sources:

Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits (Help Guide.org)

The benefits of volunteer work (Working.com.)

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A Worthwhile Pursuit for Teens

Finding the Right Activities for Your Kids

The school year is made bearable by the reward of summer. Sweet summer. Freedom, fun—and sometimes—trouble. Make plans this summer that will put you on a path to success. There are many options for spending your summer in a positive way. Get your friends together and start now.

Volunteer: Not only will volunteering make you feel good about yourself, but colleges love to see that teenagers give back to their community. Pick your passion and find a place you can volunteer. If you love animals, the local shelter can always use a helping hand. The elderly and young children love to have visits from teenagers who can entertain them. If you want to be outside, join Habitat for Humanity and learn some practical skills building homes or playgrounds. Start at the local library if you need help finding a place to volunteer.

Work: Having your own money is a great feeling. You can learn to budget, save, and spend wisely. Check the mall, local restaurants, and even farms for a summer job. You can meet new people, earn money, and build your resume. Many career websites have a section to help teens find summer work. Babysitting and camp are great places to start if you’ve never worked before.

Play: Join a summer sports league. You can be part of a team, get fit, and let out your competitive side. Softball, beach volleyball, even kickball leagues are available to teens through churches, rec centers, and community centers or clubs.

Learn: Take a class in something. It doesn’t have to be academic. Try a cooking class to impress your next date or learn a new art technique. Become a rock star through music lessons. Kick butt in karate class. Join 4-H and raise your own farm critter.

Why: You only get one chance to be a teenager. You want to make the most of it. You may have friends who pressure you to try “fun” things that may be illegal or dangerous. Those friends will eventually look back and wish they’d done something special with their few teenage summers. Making the smart choice this summer will guarantee you awesome experiences and countless stories to tell your friends when you’re back in school.

Here are some great resources to check out:

YMCA Suncoast

WorkNet Pinellas

PTEC

Leadership Pinellas

Sources:

Pinellas School Age Programs

Operation Graduate program aims to put Pinellas County teens on path to success

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Finding the Right Activities for Your Kids

Racking your brain over Spring Break this year? You may not have anything on your to-do list for your children, but here are some activities you probably want them to avoid:

- Spending the week watching television

- Getting into trouble with their friends

- Putting in endless hours mastering their video games

One thing you can do is plan your family vacation around Spring Break. Use that week to get away with your family and spend quality time doing activities where you can learn, have fun, and talk to your children all week long.

Vacation doesn’t have to be a far-away destination. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, there are plenty of local vacation options. You could go camping in Ocala, spend a week in Sarasota, or tour historic St. Augustine. You can also find plenty to do in downtown St. Pete—going to baseball games at Al Lang Field, visiting the Holocaust Museum and the Dali Museum, and just enjoying the downtown atmosphere!

If taking vacation is not possible, there are other options, but one thing is for sure: if you are not going to be around all week, you should plan things for your children to do. Being in the loop with other parents could be a huge help. If your kids’ friends have plans, talk to the parents about your kids joining in. This will ensure that they all have fun, stay busy, and keep out of trouble.

In Tampa, there are several museums that can make for all-day activities:

- MOSI, with its new interactive bug exhibit

- The Glazer Children’s Museum

- The Tampa History Museum

- The Salvador Dali Museum (in St. Pete)

Volunteering can also be fun for your children and is a great way to teach them the importance and value of giving back to the community. There are a ton of volunteer organizations that teens can be involved in, whether it is through the local church or a nonprofit like the Boys and Girls Club, Community Stepping Stones, or Feeding America. For more ideas on volunteering, follow the link to our post: Community Activities Kids Can Do Instead of Drugs.

You could also try taking them to the library and recreation center or look for family classes around town. Sometimes there are classes offered in the library, the county extension office, a local church, or even a community garden or CSA.

Last but not least, there is always camp. Whether your kids are into sports, crafts, dancing, or music, there is always a camp that offers week-long options for Spring Breakers!

For more ideas, or specific information on drug-free living and anti-drug avocation, visit our website by clicking here: LiveFree!

Source:

Parenting.com

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