By May Long

When it comes to the environment, you could probably learn a thing or two from your teenager. Today’s teens are coming of age at a time when we understand more about the problem of diminishing resources, the effects of greenhouse gases, and the importance of taking care of the earth for future generations. They are a future generation, after all, and many of them worry about the planet they’re inheriting. By encouraging activism and helping your teen find opportunities to be volunteers, you can empower them and teach them to be pro-active about their concerns.

School and community programs that teach about the environment give teens info about green issues and ways to get involved. But teens today are so overextended in every area of their lives, they often are overwhelmed and unable to find volunteer opportunities that are right for them. Several websites offer ideas, support and communities for helping to encourage activism in your teen.

Do Something (dosomething.org) is an organization that encourages teens to go offline and get involved in their communities, with suggestions for activism for the environment, animal welfare, health and fitness and many other causes of particular interest to teens. Many of the programs at DoSomething.org are designed by teens, for teens, making it especially appealing to that age group of volunteers.

Teen Activist (teenactivist.org) is a place for teen volunteers to advocate, mobilize and protest about stuff they care about, from civil rights to peace to environmentalism and animal rights. Teens who register can submit journal entries describing their activism and participate in online discussions

Youth Noise (youthnoise.com) fosters young leaders through support, mentoring, and giving teens a voice on issues they care about. International in scope, the site has ideas for action and encourages debate with forums and blogs for volunteers to share their stories and ideas.

Many high schools require some community service before kids can graduate, and college admission offices like to see meaningful volunteerism on applications. Encourage your teen to pick a project that helps the environment, like cleaning up a park or teaching younger kids about recycling. The EPA has suggestions for such projects at their website (epa.gov).

It’s important for teens to know that they can make a difference. Getting involved, and seeing the fruits of their actions, is empowering. At an age when young adults are enjoying more freedom and responsibility, it’s imperative to channel the nervous energy most teens have into worthwhile causes that can make a difference both for the world and for the teen volunteers involved in them.