33 Creative Ways To Serve Your School

Below are a variety of unique ways Young Life leaders are serving the schools where they do ministry in our area.

Guitar Club
We offered a guitar club for the middle school. We taught kids to play guitar and many leaders were there meeting kids and learning guitar too. The school loved that we were offering something like that. Tons of kids came!

Guest Speakers
One thing working adult leaders have started doing is being guest speakers at the high school. For example, a leader e-mailed the psychology professor, “Hey, I work for a hospital and we are interested in informing kids about signs and symptoms of autism.” The teacher was thrilled to have this volunteer leader come in to speak each semester.

Student Teaching
What if every education major who was a YL leader pursued their student teaching in the school where they lead Young Life.

After-Prom
We have been asked to emcee or host the school’s after-prom activities.

Community Service
Many of our kids are in the National Honor Society and have to do complete volunteer service hours in the community. We as leaders allow them to serve at club and campaigners and sign off on their hours. We also help them to find other places to volunteer in the city.

Tutoring
Many leaders have volunteered in schools’ tutoring programs. Some have created their own tutoring programs.

Substitute Teaching
In many states, college juniors and seniors are qualified to substitute teach. Tons of Young Life leaders have subbed at their school over the years.

School-Appointed Mentors/Listening Posts/XChange Program
Different schools have created school-sanctioned mentoring programs where mentors/youth leaders can come into the school and visit students during lunch. The school must connect with the mentors, and mentors must agree to certain guidelines, including wearing an ID badge. Sometimes this is part of a class that asks for mentors in the community to come alongside potential first-generation college students and meet with them monthly at school for lunch.

Abstinence Education
There are often abstinence education programs that send trained speakers (often high school or college students) to speak at schools.

Teachers’ Aide
Especially great with an art teacher or a class that’s more “free-flowing” where you can hang with kids and help out.

Learning Differences
We have had leaders volunteer weekly to help kids with learning differences and disabilities.

Junior Achievement
We had folks volunteer with Junior Achievement over the years, teaching work/study/financial principles in a class once a week.

High School Interns
Many high schools have an internship class students can take where they work alongside a mentor for one period a day. I have had six different high school students work for me as Young Life office assistants during the school day.

Faculty Appreciation Breakfast
We hosted an annual faculty appreciation breakfast put on by Young Life. It was very easy. Simply brought in bagels and coffee and hung out with teachers. They could grab and go or stay and talk– did not make a presentation.

Lunch Room Monitors
We have had leaders who would serve as School Lunch Monitors.

Reception Help
We have worked the Info Desk or Reception Desk during receptionists’ lunch break.

Student Leadership Events
When we held club at the school, the school counselor was impressed with how well we executed group games, and invited our leaders (and paid them) to lead some mixers during a student leadership conference led by the counseling department.

Connect with Counselors
I’ve connected with the school counselors and communicate with them about specific kids. They will refer kids to me from time to time when they feel like Young Life would be a great fit for that kid.

Ultimate Frisbee Club
Along with another leader, I started an Ultimate Frisbee club that we do in the spring. We play once a week after school. It’s not like coaching because all we do is play with the kids. It’s a very small time commitment, but it reaches kids who don’t normally play sports.

Outdoor Club
I have a friend who started an “outdoor club” at the school where he leads. He has regular meetings and takes kids on biking and camping and fishing trips. It’s endorsed by the school, too.

Proctor Tests
We have had leaders proctor SATs.

Help with a School Club
I was taking sign language as a class in college. I e-mailed the advisor for the sign language club and asked if I could come to a few meetings because it was for an assignment. A few meetings turned into the whole year.

Helping School Fundraisers
We have worked a dance marathon fundraiser for Children’s Miracle Network in the spring: doing mixers, games, etc at the school.

Chaperoning Dances
This is a great way to serve the school because most teachers hate chaperoning. We chaperone every dance the school has.

Marching Band
We have a leader who is the assistant marching band director at her school.

Theater
We had a leader who was the school’s assistant theater director. He just showed up at the beginning of the year and asked if he could help out.

Athletic Department
The first person I met at the school was the athletic director. They usually need help somewhere: concessions, ticket-takers, track meets especially require many helpers: (timers, etc.) We have two schools where leaders earn a sports pass for the leadership team by working at athletic events.

Rec Leagues
Leaders have coached rec-league sports teams.

Concessions
Sometimes I help at the concession stand at football games. It is a great way to meet other parents and you get to see everyone because they all want food.

Tailgate
We provided water for freshman class tailgate-the Student Government organized it and YL donated water and had committee and leaders there to interact with parents and freshman.

Volunteer Coaching
We’ve had a leader who simply ran with the cross-country team.

Chain Gang
We will sometimes be on the football first-down chain gang. It’s a great way to be down on the field.

Adopt-a-Team
Leaders have adopted different groups and clubs by bringing a snack to the team or group once a week. All we had to do is get the coach’s permission.

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