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Want to know some simple, last minute youth group ideas for service projects? These are the tested and youth group service project ideas you need to know about.
Whether you are trying to plan a service project for school, a club, a youth church group, or just because it feels good, here are 51 ideas that you can pull together last minute. Service projects are a great way to help someone who is in need, and if you are anything like me, you are doing all the research you can to make sure you are prepared and find a suitable service project idea for your youth group.
As a church youth group leader myself, I am giving you all the top service project ideas that we have either tried, or would like to try in the near future.
After learning about all of these youth group ideas for service projects, you are going to be extra prepared, when it’s time for your youth group to do a service project.
This post is all about last minute youth group ideas for service projects, that every youth leader should know about.
1. Collect cans and deliver to food pantry
This is such a simple way to make an immediate difference in your own community. Youth can easily collect food cans from their own homes, or set up a food drive and collect from the neighborhood. We recently made food kits and delivered them to our local food pantry, and they were so excited and grateful for our hard work at putting them all together. First, reach out to your local food pantry to see what type of items they are in need of.
2. Foster a pet
Your youth group, with permission from their parents, could arrange to help foster a pet for a set period of time. Check out THIS post for what all this might entail. If some parents aren’t open to the idea, or unable to have a pet in their own home for a few days, then those youth could go to someone else’s house to help them take care of the pet for a few hours.
3. Make a Sunshine basket to brighten someone’s day
Gather a few items around the house, or from the dollar store, that are yellow, and drop them off at someone’s door. Try to deliver to someone who just needs a little something to brighten their day.
4. Donate clothes to the Goodwill
5. Sign up to volunteer at school carnivals
There are many schools in need of volunteers, so reach out to a local school to see if your group can help. It just takes a phone call.
6. Ask neighbors how they can help
A simple way to serve is to just ask neighbors what they are in need of. I’ve seen youth groups that take a couple of hours and go from house to help, helping with simple household chores. It’s also a great way for the youth to get to know people in the neighborhood.
7. Makes cards for nursing home
This service project takes almost no prep. Just grab some paper and writing utensils and write, or draw letters to deliver to a nursing home. You could also call ahead and get names of the residents, but you don’t have to. If you have the time, take the youth with you and have them deliver the cards. This is especially fun to do around a holiday.
8. Make/Donate blankets for homeless
Reach out to a homeless shelter near you and ask them if they have a need for blankets. Then plan a night to make or gather blankets with your youth group.
9. Plant a tree
You will first need to obtain permission wherever you plan to plant the tree, but it is a great project where your youth can watch the tree grow, and develop a little more appreciation for the beauty of nature all around them.
10. Make Valentine cards for children in the hospital
Another fun idea would be to heart attack the bedroom doors of the patients.
11. Clean up the city roads
12. Deliver food for Meals on Wheels
Contact Meals on Wheels to see what you could do to help.
13. Sign up to feed homeless
Contact your local homeless shelter to get your youth group signed up to help.
14. Write inspiring notes and put on cars
A fun and simple activity would be to have the youth write inspiring notes, or quotes, and then drive to a populated parking lot, and put the notes on the windshields.
15. Sing at nursing home
16. Write appreciation notes to teachers
Have everyone in your youth group write a letter to a teacher who has really helped them, or who they admire, or who they may be struggling with, to help soften their own hearts a little.
17. Choose toys to donate to toy drive
Your youth group can easily collect toys from their own homes, or set up a toy drive and collect from the neighborhood. Many families have way to many toys in their homes and would be happy to support the cause.
18. Tutor elementary kids
Contact a local elementary school to see if your youth group could come in and help tutor.
19. Start a free library or donate books to little free libraries
Your youth group could gather books from the neighborhood and start a free library, or donate to a local library. Many people will create a simple box that the books can be placed in, and anyone can use the books, as long as they return them when they are finished, and add their own books.
20. Volunteer for a local race
Do some research to see if there are any races coming up. Contact the race organizers and ask if your youth group can volunteer in any way.
21. Donate toys to a day care center
Your youth group could gather toys to donate to a local day care center. First, contact the day care center to see what their needs are.
22. Start a club at school
Host a planning meeting with your youth group to come up with an idea for a club that they could start at their own school. Encourage them to talk to their administration to get permission to start a wholesome club.
23. Volunteer at food bank
Contact your local food bank to see what your youth group could do to help.
24. Pick up trash at local park
25. Take goodies to public workers
As a youth group, make some goodies and drive around and deliver to public workers.
26. Perform or read at nursing home
Contact your local nursing home to set up a time when your youth group could perform or read for their residents.
27. Volunteer at animal shelter
Contact your local animal shelter to see if there is anything your youth group could do to help.
28. Serve at public library or museum
Contact your local public library or museum to see if there is anything your youth group could do to help.
29. Cheer for athletes at special Olympics
30. Help set up/take down community events.
Go to your communities website to see what community events are happening and then reach out to see how your youth group could help.
31. Make gifts for kids in the hospital
As a youth group, allow the youth to brainstorm and plan gift ideas for children in the hospital. At your next activity, make the gifts, and then deliver to your local hospital.
32. Write thank you notes to administration in your school
33. Pull weeds at community gardens
Contact any local community gardens in your area to ask if your youth group could volunteer to pull weeds.
34. Put on a lemonade stand or baked good sale then donate money to local organization.
35. Adopt a grandparent at a nursing home
Contact your local nursing home to see if your youth group can visit. While they are there talking to the residents, have them each pick out a grandparent to “adopt”. Visit this nursing home several times throughout the year, so the youth can visit with their “adopted grandparent.”
36. Usher for a local community theater group
Contact a local community theatre group and ask if your youth group can volunteer to usher, or paint sets, sale candy at intermission, or whatever they have need for.
37. Coach a kid’s sports team
As a youth group, volunteer to coach a kid’s sports team. Select a sport that your youth have experience with. Even if some of the youth don’t play sports, they all have something to contribute.
38. Start a recycle program
This is a service project that could take a few activities to develop. Check out THIS article on how to start a recycling project in your community.
39. Babysit for neighbor in need
Host a babysitting night, where your youth can each volunteer to babysit for a family while the parents go on a date. If it is a church group, maybe the youth could all babysit together at the church, and make a fun night out of it.
40. Set up a buddy system for kids with special needs at your school
Encourage the youth to talk with their administration and the SPED program to see what they can do to help the students at their school wh0 have special needs.
41. Start a positive Local News Instagram account
Your youth group can work together to come up with stories about your community to post on Instagram.
42. Write positive reviews for local businesses
It really helps a business to have good reviews. Have the youth get online and write good reviews for all their favorite local businesses.
43. Write supportive notes to health workers
44. Write kind comments on social media
Have a night where the youth all get on social media and spend 30 mins or so writing kind comments to different people.
45. Create a kit for foster children
Contact your local foster care agency and inquire what your youth can do to help.
46. Run a 5k to support a good cause
47. Make a blanket for a local hospital
Contact your local hospital to see if you can make blankets for those in need.
48. Bake treats for someone who is struggling
49. Volunteer at zoo
Contact your local zoo to see how your youth can volunteer.
50. Volunteer at a church
Ask leaders at a local church if there is any way that your youth group could volunteer.
51. Donate blood
It is so important that our youth learn the importance of serving others. It is also important to show our youth how simple service can be, so don’t overcomplicate things. Check out THIS post for 21 Life-Changing Benefits of Youth Volunteering.
For more ideas, check out JUSTSERVE. Here you can find specific needs in your area.
This post was all about last minute youth group ideas for service projects, that every youth leader should know about.