"Imagine a community of girls on the Net who speak their minds, share their ideas and make lasting friendships."
—Holly Holmberg Brooks, Founder of GirlSite

26 to 33 points: Global Girl
You've got your act together, knowledge to share, and the motivation to go for it. Consider the following volunteer gigs:

- Tutor
- Mentor
- Babysitting instructor
- Friendship box organizer

Your job: Tutor or teacher of younger students. You will help kids with their homework and with learning problems that may be affecting their success in school, or teach religion in a church setting.
Charity: Your school or another in your area, an area church.
On a mission to: Assist in the learning process by giving youngsters the help they need with their schoolwork or “spiritual growth.”
Contact: Teachers, school administrators, church administrators, parents.
Time commitment required: One or more hours at least once a week.
Age of volunteers: Although there are tutors of all ages, we’re talking about high school and college students here.

Peer contact:
Low.

Dealing with strangers:		 You may not know the children when you begin the tutoring relationship.

Taking orders from the boss:		 Some instruction or supervision may be required in a school setting, but minimal involvement.

Why it rocks:		 One reader teaches religion to 5th graders. “[The students] do want to learn and I find that encouraging,” she says.
Other contacts for this type of work: Try are day care or preschool organizations, hospitals, the YMCA or YWCA, or the Red Cross (1-800-HELPNOW) or United Way (1-800-411-UWAY).


Your job: Mentor to a younger boy or girl, aged 6 to 14. You must be at least 19. You will spend time with your “little brother or sister” doing activities you both enjoy, or just hanging out. The idea is that you provide a positive role model and possibly become a confidant for the kid. They usually come from single-parent homes or are disadvantaged or at risk in some way.
Charity: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), the oldest mentoring organization serving youth in the country, since 1904. BBBSA currently serves over 100,000 children and youth in more than 500 agencies throughout all of the United States.
On a mission to:
Help kids “at risk” stay on the straight and narrow, and grow up happy and well adjusted, by hooking them up with a positive influence and lifelong friend.
Contact: Check out http://www.bbbsa.org/, the BBBSA Web site for more information. You can also look them up in your Business White Pages.
Time commitment required: Several hours (like an afternoon or evening) at least once a month. You should aim for once a week.
Age of volunteers: Nineteen and up.

Peer contact:
Only if you bring your Little around your friends or other people your age.

Dealing with strangers:		 You’ll meet your Little and get to know his or her family. You’ll be involved with the organization’s people, too, as you are interviewed and matched with your Little.

Taking orders from the boss:		 You get to decide what to do and when, in conjunction with your Little.

Why it rocks:		 These kids need all the help they can get, and you can learn as much from your Little as he or she learns from you. Besides, who can’t use someone new to have a good time with?
Other contacts for this type of work: Other contacts for this type of work: Habitat for Humanity (call 1-800-HABITAT) has a mentoring program, as do many other volunteer organizations.


Your job: Babysitting Instructor. After completing a training course, you will teach others the important health and safety issues needed for responsible baby and child care.
Charity: The Red Cross, a humanitarian organization helping more than 30 million people each year.
On a mission to: Help people prevent, prepare for and cope with emergencies.
Contact: Find out more and pinpoint your local chapter through http://www.redcross.org/index.shtml, the Red Cross national Web site. You can also call 1-800-HELPNOW, or look them up in the Business White Pages.
Time commitment required: Twenty hours of training are required. Once you are trained, you will usually teach a class every other month.
Age of volunteers: Varies, usually on the young side.

Peer contact:
You might meet a lot of people your age, in training groups and in classes. It’s likely there’ll be a lot more dudettes than dudes.

Dealing with strangers:		 You’ll have instructors and students. But they’re only strangers until you meet them!

Taking orders from the boss:		 You might teach with a Red Cross co-instructor.

Why it rocks:
Your knowledge could save a baby’s life. And as a teacher, you get to be on center stage.

 

Your job: Friendship Box Organizer. You’d coordinate a group (through school, clubs, church, scouts, family, etc.) to assemble boxes of personal care items such as toothpaste and soap, or chests of school supplies for children affected by disasters.
Charity: The Red Cross, a humanitarian organization helping more than 30 million people each year.
On a mission to:
Help people prevent, prepare for and cope with emergencies.
Contact: Find out more and pinpoint your local chapter through http://www.redcross.org/index.shtml, the Red Cross national Web site. You can also call 1-800-HELPNOW, or look up the Red Cross in the Business White Pages.
Time commitment required:
With a group, about 10 hours a week. This can be a one-time deal or you can do it periodically.
Age of volunteers: Mostly adolescents, teens, young adults.

Peer contact:		 This is a good opportunity to spend time with anybody you can entice to join your group.

Dealing with strangers:		 Low

Taking orders from the boss:		 Once you get the procedural instructions, you’re in charge.

Why it rocks:		 You get together with friends and get necessities to people in need.
International notes: The Red Cross is active worldwide.
Other contacts for this type of work: A huge variety of charity organizations welcome appropriate donations. Contact the charity of your choice to find out what’s needed, then organize a group to get the items together.