Project

Get Involved! Volunteer Your Time

(20 points)

In this activity, you will choose a way to volunteer your time to improve your community, do some volunteer work, and then write about the results.

1. Choose a way to help.

Decide how you want to help your community. Think about what matters most to you. Is it helping the poor? Or maybe you want to help support an important political cause that interests you. Do you belong to a religious or ethnic group that could use help in the community?

Make a list of the groups or organizations that interest you personally:

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2. Figure out your special talent.

How can you help? Are you a talented artist? Maybe you could help print signs for a rally or paint a mural at your community center. Do you make the best pancakes in the world? Volunteer to organize a pancake breakfast at your YMCA or place of worship. Whatever it is that you’re best at, figure out a way to use that talent to help the group or organization you’re interested in.

Make a list of your particular talents and think about how you can use them in your volunteer work:

TalentPotential use

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3. Make contact.

Contact the group you intend to help and discuss your plan. Ask any questions you may have about the group’s operations, or about the process you would need to follow as a volunteer. Find out if there are certain times when you may be more needed than others, and try to make yourself available.

4. Make a difference.

Get out there and help! Now that you’ve figured out who to help and how to do it, it’s time to make it happen! Set aside some time after school or during the weekend to put your volunteer work into action. As you work, pay attention to how you interact with the organization you’re working for, the other volunteers you’re working with, and any members of the community you interact with as you work.

Make a list of the names of some of the people you meet while volunteering. Are they coworkers, bosses, or people from the community?

NameWho are they?

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Consider flag burning as an expression of free speech and post your response to the following questions.

1. Do you think flag burning should be protected as free speech under the First Amendment? Why or why not?
2. Whether you are for or against an individual’s right to burn the flag, do you think an amendment to the Constitution to prohibit flag burning would be ratified by the states? Why or why not?