UGIVE.ORG is a nonprofit on a mission to catalyze, excite, and empower the next generation of volunteers. Through engaging youth in service, UGIVE impacts the educational system by connecting students with hands on learning opportunities. In doing so, students expand their leadership and job readiness skills. Teen volunteers say they learn about respect, patience, citizenship, and diversity (“Young Volunteers: The Benefits of Community Service,” University of Nevada). By providing a website where students can search for events, sign up for opportunities close to home, and track their service hours, UGIVE.ORG makes it easy for students to become involved in their community and further develop necessary skills for the future. With UGIVE.ORG, volunteering is educational and fun.

Many teachers look for new ways to engage students in a lesson; UGIVE.ORG helps those teachers coordinate service learning opportunities. According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, service learning programs improve academic grades, increase attendance in schools, and help students develop personal and social responsibility. This year, UGIVE.ORG VISTAs organized a letter writing campaign to soldiers in which 400 students participated. Students were graded on their writing and grammatical skills and were successful in combining school work with a positive project that impacted soldiers.

With programs such as UCREW, a service leadership group which allows youth to volunteer and organize awareness events, UGIVE.ORG’s AmeriCorps VISTAs are able to work with students firsthand and show them they are capable of creating change. In the cities with established UCREW programs, VISTAs help to coordinate each group of students as they put their knowledge from the classroom to use and develop math, writing, and public speaking skills. Students are responsible for writing donation letters, announcements, and speeches to publicize their event. They speak to their peers and local businesses to raise awareness for their cause and work together in selling tickets and handling money. In addition to producing a successful event, the UCREW members also help impact an organization.

Volunteering not only impacts the community, but it also has a positive influence on education. Students are capable of gaining so much more knowledge when the educational experience includes service in a curriculum. Through the hard work of staff and VISTAs, UGIVE.ORG has helped 43,939 students learn through volunteering and will continue providing opportunities for hands on education!