Senior Six leavers are now in the longest holiday as they prepare to join the university, but I believe that some of them are already bored given the fact they may not have much to do at home.

My advice to them is to engage in some activities which can help them to develop life skills. This will transform their lives and they will be able to impact positively on their communities. If they keep idle at home, they may get tempted to indulge in premature sexual relationships or get obsessed with social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp to pass time. Such activities can have far reaching consequences on them yet they have a lot of potential to change the world. Parents should guide these young fellows to do volunteer work in their communities on a regular basis so that they become aware of the needs of society. There are several places where they can do volunteer work from.

They should visit orphanages to interact with the children who live there. Such children enjoy making friends with fellow young people. The visitors may share life experiences with the disadvantaged children and counsel them on how to adjust to difficult life situations. They may also help them to develop literacy skills by reading for them interesting stories and teaching them how to read and write. These activities enable the holiday makers to become compassionate and role models in their communities.

Tourist sites are convenient places for volunteerism. The individuals should secure permission to work with tour guides in places like museums. In the process, they are able to develop skills in customer care, public speaking, leadership and community service which are vital in the workplaces. The existence of several tourist sites across the country provides opportunities for the students on long holiday to serve.

Public libraries are also places where students on vacation should do volunteer work. They may work with the library staff to ensure that the facilities are conducive for reading and research by helping with sorting of books. In the process, they develop reading skills given the fact that while in the libraries, they have access to lots of useful materials for reading.

Youth who are committed to their churches, may serve as ushers to tidy up the church and guide the congregation on where to sit. They may also help the worshippers to deal with emergencies which they may face during the course of the prayer services. They may preach the word of God to the children in the Sunday schools and also guide them on how to read the Bible. This helps children to develop the right values and at the same time, the young people who are involved in guiding them are able to keep themselves busy and productive during the days of worship.

The Senior Six holiday makers can also visit hospitals in groups and talk to the patients or their attendants. This helps to restore hope to the sick and their relatives. The young fellows may also do community service in the hospitals in form of clean-ups as long as they get permission from the authorities to do so. They have to use adequate protective gear so as not to contract certain contagious diseases. By volunteering in health facilities, the participants are able to become compassionate and supportive of those in need.

All the activities that I have stated can help keep our young fellows engaged as they prepare to join the university. They are capable of becoming more responsible and self-directed rather than sitting idle at home or getting tempted to indulge in risky love relationships and sports betting.

There are several universities in the western world which offer scholarships to students from the developing countries who excel in their Senior Six examinations and possess life skills like volunteerism. It is believed that such individuals impact positively on their communities when they graduate. Those who apply for scholarships are required to show proof of participation in community related activities. Youth and community leaders are supposed to recommend them clearly stating what the individuals have been doing in their communities. The applicants are expected to write about the roles that they play in the places where they live. They have to offer service in their communities in order to develop the required skills.

It is also important for the youth to begin developing their curriculum vitae long before they join the field of work. This is because most employers today consider applicants with a variety of practical and life skills to boost their organisations’ productivity levels. Individuals with such skills are regarded as being capable of spearheading development initiatives.

Parents should encourage their children in this category to give priority to volunteerism so that they get empowered to contribute to the development of the society. They should be able to acknowledge the importance of offering service above self without any monetary gain.

The writer is an English Language instructor at Akilah Institute for Women, and is a trained youth leader