My First Volunteering Experiences as a Child and Teen

You can start volunteering, even as a child, in some circumstances. I have been volunteering most of my life. I started when I was 8 years old. My family and I were living in Hong Kong because my dad's job transferred him there for 3 years. Refugees were still fleeing from Vietnam in search of a better life. They would pack as many people in very rickety and unsafe boats and many ended up on the beaches of Hong Kong. There they lived in refugee camps. My mother would volunteer there and would bring me and my sister along. While she worked with the mothers, we would read to the children and entertain them. That experience, small though it was, started my life long love of giving back.
When I was older and back in the United States, we lived in Humble, TX. I volunteered at the local hospital as a candystriper bringing flowers and books to the patients. As a teenager that helped me stay centered on others whose situations are worse than mine.

Teenagers can volunteer as young as 13 years old. See this link for more information:
http://www.volunteerlee.org/monthlyprojects.html