Volunteering, Books/Media

Author: Stephanie Land, Idealist.org

Publisher: Perigee Trade (2009)

Binding: Paperback, 288 pages

Review: From the world’s largest nonprofit networking website—a resource that gives readers the tools they need to make a difference.Part career guide, part activist’s handbook, The Idealist.org Handbook to Building a Better World provides tools and inspiration for anyone who wants to make a difference but doesn’t know where to start. Inspired by Idealist.org’s 600,000-member online community and their ongoing search for work that gives back to the world, this practical reference walks readers through the different ways they can get involved and the range of possibilities for applying one’s interests and skills to meet their community’s needs. Idealist.org’s staff gives a comprehensive understanding of the issues, options, organizations, and resources so readers can be proactive, whether it’s through one’s current job, volunteering, donating, personal spending, board service, starting an organization, or changing careers.

Author: Renee Heiss

Publisher: Corwin Press (2007)

Binding: Paperback, 176 pages

Review: Parents, teachers, and other group leaders who work with children will find much-needed guidance to organizing charitable projects in this helpful guide to youth philanthropy. Helping adults instill children with life skills such as commitment, sacrifice, cooperation, tolerance, and even valuable career skills, this volume contains dozens of real-life profiles of adults and children involved in service—the struggles they overcame, the lessons they learned, and the benefits they enjoyed. Specific charitable project ideas, print and Web resources, and guidance on details such as assigning tasks, selecting charities for fundraising contributions, and parental permission issues are also included.

Author: Mikki Halpin

Publisher: Simon Pulse (2004)

Binding: Paperback, 304 pages

Review: You can change the world. Free Speech. Racism. The Environment. Gay Rights. Bullying and School Safety. Animal Welfare. War. Information about Safe Sex and Birth Control. Free Speech. HIV and AIDS. Women's Rights. These are the issues you care about -- and now you can do something about them. It's Your World will show you how to act on your beliefs, no matter what they are, and make a difference. The information inside includes: • The basics of activism • Activism projects and outreach ideas • The 5-minute activist • How to be an activist at home, at school, and in your community • Stories from teenagers who have taken on the world -- and won • Resources including books, movies, and Web sites • and much, much more Whether at home, in school, or in your community, you have the power and the ability to create change, even if you aren't old enough to vote. Don't wait until you're eighteen to flex your political muscles -- start right now!

Author: Christin Ditchfield

Publisher: Children's Press(CT) (2004)

Binding: Paperback, 47 pages

Review: Ideal for today's young investigative reader, each A True Book includes lively sidebars, a glossary and index, plus a comprehensive "To Find Out More" section listing books, organizations, and Internet sites. A staple of library collections since the 1950s, the new A True Book series is the definitive nonfiction series for elementary school readers.

Author: Frances A. Karnes, Kristen R. Stephens

Publisher: Prufrock Press Inc. (2004)

Binding: Paperback, 191 pages

Review: Empowered Girls: A Girls Guide to Positive Activism, Volunteering, and Philanthropy offers a hands-on guide for girls looking to take an active role in their school and community. The authors offer solid reasons for active involvement, strategies for choosing how to be of help and with which groups; and methods for getting involved. It's all here - sage advice to girls seeking to become positive activists, profiles of girls who are involved in leading their community, and resources that range from funding sources to organizations that are seeking volunteers. The book is filled with useful advice, up-to-date resources, Web sites, and more. One of the book's more important sections highlights the accomplishments of girls who have successfully made a positive change in their community. This section offers girls many peer role-models for empowerment. This book is both a handbook for involvement and empowerment and an inspirational guide for young women wanting to make a difference. All Levels

Author: Arlene Erlbach

Publisher: Lerner Publications (1998)

Binding: Hardcover, 64 pages

Review: Presents some opportunities for young people to perform volunteer service, and briefly profiles some children who are volunteers.

Author: Sondra Clark

Publisher: Wesleyan Publishing House (2008)

Binding: Perfect Paperback, 176 pages

Review: 77 Creative Ways Kids Can Serve by Sondra Clark is perfect manual for kids wanting to get involved with community outreach. Aimed toward kids between the ages of 8-13, Clark describes projects with a simple step by step process. Likewise, this book is the perfect manual for parents who want to encourage their children to get involved in community outreach in small ways.

Author: Jackie Waldman

Publisher: Conari Press (2000)

Binding: Paperback, 218 pages

Review: Fourth in the Conari Press Call to Action series, this volume profiles 30 amazing young people who have overcome great personal odds to reach out and help others. First-person accounts include an amputee running in the Paralympics; the son of a cancer patient creating support groups for kids with sick parents; a girl who helped her mother and younger sister as they died of AIDS and who is now an AIDS awareness and prevention volunteer; and one of the students from the Littleton, Colorado, shooting who has created a teen drop-in center. With their stories, these remarkable teens take us to the depths of their struggles and the heights of their newfound sense of purpose and peace.

Author: Susan K. Perry

Publisher: Children's Press(CT) (2000)

Binding: Paperback, 192 pages

Author: Claudia Isler

Publisher: Children's Press (CT) (2000)

Binding: Paperback, 48 pages

Review: This series describes the benefits of volunteering through community service-learning programs. Students will learn how people from all walks of life can lend a helping hand while learning invaluable lessons in citizenship, a variety of academic subjects, and practical skills.

Author: Linda Schwartz

Publisher: Learning Works (1994)

Binding: Paperback, 160 pages

Review: The ideal resource for kids who want to make a difference through family activities, classroom projects, community service, or youth group programs. This book encourages kids to participate in a variety of worthwhile causes and activities and will help them discover the importance--and joy--of helping others.

Author: Carole Marsh

Publisher: Gallopade International (2002)

Binding: Paperback, 48 pages

Review: First-person diary of Vicki, and her exciting work through volunteering. Includes the definition of a volunteer, a volunteer's poem, a post card to send to a volunteer, and much more!

Author: Sondra Clark

Publisher: Revell (2003)

Binding: Paperback, 128 pages

Review: In her last book, the industrious Sondra Clark mobilized her tween peers to dream big dreams and make them happen. Now, in You Can Change Your World!, Clark challenges readers ages 8-13 with a new vision to improve their homes, their schools, and the world. Making a difference begins, Sondra says, by keeping your eyes open for ways to do something nice for someone else. Sometimes it's as simple as being nice to your pesky little brother or collecting shampoos and soaps for a women's shelter. Other times it may require more sacrifice, such as donating time and energy to volunteer with the Special Olympics. As the author of three books and a spokeschild for Childcare International, Sondra Clark knows what it takes to make a difference in the world. In this book, she shares plenty of practical ways for readers to better the lives of their families and friends and to improve their schools, communities, and beyond. Crammed with fun stories, realistic tips, and creative ideas, You Can Change Your World! is sure to delight and inspire kids-and their parents, too.

Author: Bernard Ryan Jr.

Publisher: Ferguson Publishing Company (1998)

Binding: Library Binding, 96 pages

Review: "Community Service for Teens" is a resource aimed at students interested in volunteering. Part of an eight-volume set, this title includes volunteering in hospitals, health agencies, battered women shelters, and nursing homes.

Author: Linda Leeb Duper

Publisher: Facts on File (1996)

Binding: Hardcover, 144 pages