Regardless of age, volunteering is an opportunity for someone to make an impact on their communities.

No matter how much or how little time someone has, what age they are, or what they are interested in, Manitoba can use their help.

Kamillah El-Giadaa, the Youth Program Coordinator at Volunteer Manitoba, says volunteering can help people discover new talents and interests they may not have had the opportunity to explore before.

She says in the 2013 General Social Survey, young people in Canada have volunteered more than any other age group.

Developing interests into skills, Volunteer Manitoba can work with people as young as twelve years old.

"You want to balance out school, time with friends, time for work, and make time through there, whatever fits your schedule."

If a family with children who are not old enough to volunteer on their own wants to volunteer together, El-Giadaa says that is also a possibility.

"If you want to go in all together at Winnipeg Harvest, we could maybe make something happen."

"You are building your own self-esteem through hands-on experience, you are creating new friendships, (and) you are discovering possible future employment or references," El-Giadaa says. "You are able to give back to your community."

El-Giadaa says volunteering is a fantastic way to gain work experience and bolster their resumes.

"Volunteering, sometimes, is the very first thing you put on your resume." 

But volunteering is about much more than future job opportunities. El-Giadaa says by volunteering at a young age, people can begin to learn about what interests them and build their skills in their area of interest. 

"There are tons of positions that are available right now," she says. "Reading, writing, TikTok, there is something for everyone." 

Volunteer work can also be done offsite and virtually and all across the province. 

While some people may be looking for specific opportunities, would-be volunteers can reach out to Volunteer Manitoba even if they do not know what they want to do.

"When you are trying to figure out what to do for volunteering, first look within. Figure out what your passion is."

The coordinator says there are lots of opportunities for young people to find a fit that works for them, so they can develop their interests. 

El-Giadaa says volunteers can make life-long friends with people who have the same interests through their work. 

Additionally, students can earn high school credits for volunteering 110 hours, and bursaries for secondary-education through volunteering. El-Giadaa says that youth can volunteer for any amounts of time and qualify for a range of things and that Volunteer Manitoba can help find those opportunities for students.

"There are also university programs that require it or even some colleges will require you to do a certain number of volunteer hours to apply."

Volunteering can be a one-time event or be developed into a life-long passion. El-Giadaa says when volunteering, people can choose how much time they want to put into it and that the time spend volunteering does not matter as much as the impact the work gives.