Volunteer Opportunities for Teens in Kansas City

Whether your teen is interested in learning more about a career, looking to be more involved in the community, or just trying to complete service hours, there’s a volunteer opportunity in Kansas City to match their interests.

Volunteer Opportunities for Teens in Kansas City

Johnson County Youth Court

Ages/Grades: 10–18 years (18-year-olds must be current seniors)
Best for: Teens interested in civic leadership or the judicial system
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes, but a training session is required

Johnson County Youth Court (sometimes referred to as Olathe Youth Court) is an alternative to the formal juvenile justice system, in which juvenile offenders are sentenced by a jury of their peers. The goal of youth court is to provide early intervention to youth who commit first-time minor offenses. Just like in formal court, the youth that committed the offense appears before the court for a sentencing hearing. All of the court roles (judges, prosecuting and defense attorneys, bailiffs, jury members) are filled by youth volunteers. Youth court volunteers receive training related prior to participating. Volunteers do not need to be a resident of Johnson County to participate.

Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium

Ages/Grades: 8th–12th grade
Best for: Teens interested in an animal care career path
One-time volunteer opportunities available: No

The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium VolunTEEN Program is an in-depth, year-long volunteer opportunity where teens develop expertise in communication, education, technology, animal care and leadership. VolunTEEN duties include animal presentations, working alongside animal care specialists, graphic design, data analysis and more. Each year, teens apply for year-long pathways that build on each other. Once they complete a pathway, new volunteer opportunities become available. Applications open in November or December.

Johnson County Library

Ages/Grades: 12+ years
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Booklovers or those looking to knock out service hours

The Johnson County Library has a large variety of volunteer opportunities for teens. There are a lot of one-time volunteer needs in addition to recurring opportunities. On the library’s website, specific jobs and their requirements are listed along with the dates and times volunteers are needed. Volunteers can sign up by simply clicking a button. Volunteer jobs are varied and may include helping with book donations and book sales, helping with library events, participating in social media videos, assisting patrons with specialized equipment, or even reviewing books! Note: Many of our other local library systems have periodic needs for teen volunteers as well. Summers tend to offer more opportunities for teens.

Catholic Charities of NE Kansas

Ages/Grades: 10+ years (parent supervision may be needed depending on age and job)
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Teens wanting to serve with their families or in groups

Youth volunteers with Catholic Charities of NE Kansas sort and distribute food and work in TurnStyles Thrift Stores. Food sorting and packaging takes place Monday-Friday at the Hope Distribution Center in Kansas City, Kansas. On the third Saturday of the month, Catholic Charities holds a mobile food distribution event at J.C. Harmon High School in Kansas City, Kansas. Volunteers are needed to distribute food to clients in their vehicles. Teens may also volunteer at one of Catholic Charities’ Turnstyle Thrift Stores, which has locations in both Overland Park and Mission. Volunteer duties include processing and tagging donations, putting items on the sales floor and maintaining the organization of the store.

KC Farm School at Gibbs Road

Ages/Grades: All ages but must be 13+ years to volunteer independently
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Teens that don’t mind manual labor, bugs or dirt

KC Farm School at Gibbs Road is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that operates a 14.5-acre urban education and production farm in Kansas City, Kansas. Each Saturday morning volunteers pull weeds, mulch paths, pot in the green house, prep beds and plant and care for crops. Tasks vary by the season, but volunteer work is available almost every Saturday year round. All volunteers receive a farm orientation and opportunities for agricultural education. No experience is necessary, and all tools are provided. Volunteers who need wheelchair accessibility or other accommodations are welcome on the farm. View the schedule and sign up.

Youth Volunteer Corps Kansas City

Ages/Grades: 11–18 years
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Completing service hours

Youth Volunteer Corps Kansas City (YVCKC) works with youth in team-based service experiences and partners with non-profit agencies and organizations to offer a variety of volunteer opportunities. Read: You don’t have to spend time searching and visiting the websites of multiple area non-profits and organizations. YVCKC has already done the organizing and created the teen specific volunteer opportunities you are looking for. Projects are available in various locations around Kansas City. Some projects can be completed in as little as one or two hours, while others take place over multiple days. Sample volunteer opportunities include working at Pumpkin Hollow at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead, organizing art supplies for Scraps KC and sorting items for Harvesters Community Food Network.

KC Pet Project

Ages/Grades: 7–15 years with a parent/legal guardian, 16 years+ to volunteer independently
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Teens that love animals

KC Pet Project in Kansas City, Missouri welcomes Junior Volunteers to assist with watering, enrichment, and various operational and sanitation tasks around the shelter. Junior Volunteers are not able to physically handle animals themselves, but they are able to assist their parent/legal guardian in doing so. The adult to child ratio for Junior Volunteers must one adult to one child and the parent/legal guardian must attend an orientation and required animal-handling training with or on behalf of the Junior Volunteer. Volunteers ages 16 and 17, may volunteer independently, but are not able to handle animals until they turn 18.

Johnson County Christmas Bureau

Ages/Grades: 6th–8th grade with supervision, 9th–12th grade to volunteer independently
One-time volunteer opportunities available: Yes
Best for: Teens wanting to serve with their families or in groups

The Johnson County Christmas Bureau runs a free holiday shop that serves more than 14,000 low-income Johnson County residents. Between mid-November and mid-December, 3,000 volunteers are needed to help set up, operate, and tear down the shop. Youth in grades 6th–8th can help set-up and tear-down the shop, as long as there is one adult for every five students. They can help operate the shop as well, but they must be supervised with a one adult to one teen ratio. Once teens are 16-years-old, they can assist clients by working in a department or guiding a client through the shop as they pick out gifts and household supplies. Look for volunteer sign-ups in October. If you are looking for weekend shifts, be sure to sign up early!