Community Service Ideas for High School Students

Research programs and other extracurricular activities that demonstrate skill development and intellectual fortitude are essential aspects of any college application. However, you’ll need more than academic rigor to stand out amongst a sea of similarly accomplished applicants. In addition to stellar academic achievements, top schools are also looking for scholars who care about more than their own success.

How can you show your dream school that you’ll be an active, engaged member of society who contributes positively to campus life, if admitted? Better yet, how can you prove that your interests aren’t self-serving but are centered around a desire to make the world a better place? High school students who participate in community service earn the two-fold benefit of giving back to the people, businesses, and organizations that raised them while building a college resume they can be proud of.

If you’re not sure how to get started with giving back or don’t have any established outlets for service projects around you, here are some ideas you can initiate and carry out on your own or with friends and family. Colleges and universities also love to see applicants who demonstrate independence, initiative, and leadership. The more strategic you are with your extracurricular activities, the more rewards you’ll reap during admissions season.

Organize Regular Clean-Up Crews

On a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, you can gather five to 10 peers to participate in outdoor clean-up events. Parks, rivers and creeks, beaches, highways, hiking trails, and main roads within neighborhoods are all common sites for everyday litter and trash dumping. While trash buildup is an ongoing problem in cities and towns everywhere, the solution is inexpensive and straightforward. All you and your clean-up crew need to make a sizable impact are gloves, trash bags, and reach-and-grab tools, all of which can be purchased together for less than $50, depending on how big your group is.

The more trash you whisk away, the more you’ll inspire community residents to maintain cleanliness in their backyards. Once word spreads about the progress your group is making, more and more people will want to join. With effective marketing–posting before and after photos on social media, placing fliers strategically throughout your community, letting the local news know about your efforts–your clean-up crew could double or triple in size before you know it.

Host a Clothing Drive for Local Shelters

Most people who wind up at domestic violence shelters show up with just the clothes on their backs, with maybe one small bag of essentials. And those who frequent homeless shelters may not even have that much. One of the best ways to help them is to host a clothing drive. Talk to your principal or school counselor to see if you can use the gymnasium, auditorium, or cafeteria as the site for donation drop-offs. You can also spread the word about your clothing drive initiative by getting school administrators to mention it daily in your school’s morning announcements.

Before you kick off the drive, though, talk to local shelters and find out what they need most so you know what to ask your community for. Everyday needs like winter clothing, undergarments, and running shoes will likely be at the top of the list. Professional clothes like blazers, button-up shirts, and slacks may also benefit people in shelters who are actively interviewing for jobs. You could also target specific disadvantaged communities and collect used prom dresses for teenage girls, maternity clothes for pregnant women, or onesies, pajamas, and school clothes for babies and small children. 

A clothing drive costs nothing to organize, but the payoff could change lives.

Plant Flowers and Trees With Younger Students

Most little kids love to spend time outside and aren’t scared of getting a little dirt on their hands. You can make good use of this inherent love for nature by enlisting kindergarteners and other elementary-aged kids to help with a community-wide beautification project. Plant fruit trees, cherry blossoms, and oaks. Or peonies, sunflowers, azaleas, and roses. Adding some shade and color to your street, neighborhood, or town is a relatively simple facelift that could benefit your community for generations. 

You’ll need a few tools, like shovels, gardening gloves, and plant food, which will cost some money. But you can talk to teachers, parents, small business owners, and even the local school board about helping with costs. The adults around you can donate to your cause or help you establish a fundraiser to pay for the project. Either way, once you have the resources you need, you and your little helpers can spend a few weekends adding natural beauty to schoolyards, parks, public courtyards, and more.

By participating in community service, you can demonstrate your commitment to helping those in need and enhance your academic profile with strong extracurricular activities. These are just a few examples of ways to give back, but the most important part of community service is its impact on those around you.