What makes a good volunteer?
Try this short quiz to find out if you have what it takes:
- I like teenagers.
- I know what texting is.
- I'm able to text (or willing to learn).
- Sometimes I laugh at situations that make others walk away in frustration.
- I can remember doing at least one dumb thing when I was a teenager.
- I want to be part of a community of people who are committed to teens and who support each other.
- My family sometimes looks more like Ozzy Ozborne than Ozzie and Harriet.
- Part of the reason I want to get involved is I know about the terrible outcomes for many teens 'aging out' of foster care, and I want to be part of the solution.
- I like surprises.
- I honor my commitments.
- I don't give up.
- I know how to say 'no' in the face of extreme pressure. Often I say 'yes.'
- I know what Guitar Hero and Wii are. Bonus points if you have played either.
- I have a network of friends and family who will support my plans to make a commitment to a teen.
- MySpace, Facebook, IM, LOL, POS do not look like a foreign language to me. Bonus if you are already someone's 'friend.'
- I have been called stubborn or pushy.
- I know I will need help if I work with a teen and am not afraid to ask for help or to accept it.
Thinking about adoption? Add these questions:
- It's okay if my kid keeps her last name.
- It's okay if my kid doesn't call me 'mom' or 'dad.'
- I'm intrigued at the idea of getting to know my kid's birth family.
- I have the stomach (or know someone who does) to teach a teen to drive.
- I know that adopting means unconditional commitment. That means I will be their parent forever, whether:
- he goes to college or struggles to finish high school;
- she finds a fulfilling career or changes jobs frequently;
- he gets arrested and goes to jail, or becomes a police officer;
- she is ready to live 'on her own' at 18...or 26;
- he makes someone pregnant, or she becomes pregnant before being ready to parent;
- she becomes addicted or mentally ill;
- he wins the lottery and buys me a new car...or crashes the junker I drive;
- she leaves home to live with birth family...and then wants to come back;
- his friend steals my favorite piece of jewelry, or accidentally breaks a family heirloom.
If you agree with most or all of these statements you might be the right person to mentor or parent a Family & Youth Initiative teen.