Volunteerism is widely considered beneficial for students, and the Employment for Education (EFE) program provides opportunities for community service while preparing those enrolled for their lives after high school. Volunteering teaches students new skills and work experience, allows them to connect with peers and adults within their community, and gives them the chance to give back.
Instructor Lauren Adair oversees the Employment for Education program and coordinates these opportunities at various places throughout Louisa. From working with horses at Serenity Farms Equine Sanctuary to bagging groceries at the Louisa County Resource Council (LCRC), these students gain knowledge in various settings.
The EFE students spend Tuesday mornings working in various environments from preschool classrooms, the warehouse at LCRC, Lake Anna Nursery and Landscaping sites, retail spaces like GoodWill, and local farms. One week they may be caring for or grooming horses, another week they may be organizing inventory. Students learn different safety measures for each workplace, the importance of appropriate clothing for different types of work, and how to use different tools and equipment.
“Volunteering is really fun, especially when you go to different places [to volunteer],” sophomore Amber Bratton said.
No matter what background experience and skills Adairs students enter the program with, the variety of volunteer opportunities allow all students to grow. Whether it is learning the behind-the-scenes of how different businesses work or learning to get along with different coworkers every week, the different volunteer roles provide new environments for growth.
¨[The program] gives them work-based experiences— to learn different skills to apply to jobs after high school,” Adair said. “It gives them hands-on experience for a variety of career opportunities. They are learning how to have those tough conversations and solve conflicts without an adult’s aid, and overall learning different skills.¨
Not only are Adair’s students learning a variety of new technical skills through this wide range of volunteer experiences, but they are also developing qualities needed for future employment. “Soft skills,” like the self-advocacy and conflict resolution Adair mentions are important skills needed in the workforce. Soft skills are the social skills and behaviors that allow people to get along with their coworkers and employers effectively, and Adair’s students expand these skills through their volunteerism.
“They are learning how to follow directions and pay attention— and not just pay attention, but to work without taking breaks— because we’re only volunteering for two hours a day,” Adair said “When you work two hours a day, you don’t get a break, That’s hard for some students, but they need to learn that because after high school, you will have eight-hour shifts and you have to learn how to work with maybe just a lunch break.”
(credit to Lauran Adair)
Through these two-hour volunteer opportunities, Adair’s students develop a work ethic to help them succeed in whatever they choose to do once they graduate. While they may not end up working in a field similar to the places they’ve volunteered, the skills they are building will help them in any workplace.
“[Volunteering] prepares you to be ready for what you’re heading into in life, getting you ready for how to become an adult,” senior Michael Martinez-Campos said.
