VOLUNTEER AT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Imagine how great you'd feel knowing that you helped build a home for a poor family to live in!

You can do just that, by volunteering your time with Habitat for Humanity International. This worthy organization builds houses for poor people in local communities. Habitat has built more than 200,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1,000,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter.

Habitat for Humanity is not just a charity either. It's about helping needy people to help themselves!

Habitat oragnizes volunteer workers, and raises donations of money and materials, to build new homes, and rehabilitate simple, decent houses, with the help of partner (homeowner) families. Needy families invest hundreds of hours of their own labour into building their Habitat house, and the houses of others. The Habitat houses are then sold to partner families at no profit, and financed with affordable loans.

When a family makes a monthly payment on their Habitat house, it's used to build more new Habitat houses. So every time a poor family gets a new home, they help to fund another poor family's new house. That's the circle of giving. It's so smart!

Want to help this fantastic cause? Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races, religions and ages to help them create affordable housing for families in need.

To find out more about Habitat for Humanity, take the online tour.

What Do Volunteers Do?

Older teens and adults can do hands-on volunteer work with Habitat, building new homes for the poor. You don't know your way around a toolbox? Don’t worry! Many people come to Habitat sites with no construction skills at all and still make a great impact. Training is provided on-site and it can be an amazing learning experience.

You have to be 16 to build on a Habitat site, but building is not the only way to get involved.

Habitat has Youth Programs to help under-16s make an impact. You could join the Habitat Street Team (for ages 9 - 13) and help spread the word that substandard housing is not cool and that everyone deserves a simple, decent home.

For ages 14+, you can be a member of Habitat's "T-squared" team and get involved by doing volunteer work in your community.

Habitat for Humanity has got tons of ideas for how young people can contribute to ending poverty housing! Check out the section below for more information about how you can help.

How to Get Started

For a great overview and links to Habitat for Humanity teen programs/volunteer ideass, check out their Youth Programs web page.

You can also volunteer locally! If you live in the U.S., contact your local affiliate and ask what opportunities they have for youth volunteers. Check out this page on the Habitat for Humanity website to find your local affiliate. Or, contact the Youth Programs department at youthprograms@habitat.org or (800) HABITAT, Ext. 2412 for more information.(US only)

For volunteer oportunities and ideas outside the U.S., contact your Habitat for Humanity local affiliate or a Youth Programs area coordinator. Search for campus chapters and community youth groups in your area. (U.S., Canada and International)

Canadian teens can also check out the youth involvement page on the Habitat for Humanity Canada website. Or contact CCYP@habitat.ca for opportunities to get involved. (Canada only)