Get involved! Learn valuable work skills by doing community service. (You're the Boss).

It's no coincidence that you can help yourself by helping others. For thousands of teens across the country, community service has proven to be a great way to learn the necessary skills to build a bright future. Ifna Ejebe, a 17-year-old senior at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minnesota, joined the National Youth Leadership Council's (NYLC) Youth Project Team during her freshman year. Located in St. Paul, Minnesota, the organization educates youth, teens, and college-age students about work and volunteering through something they call "service-learning."

Throughout her time with NYLC, Ifna participated in the organization's 10-day Youth Leadership Camp where she took part in several activities that focused on using teamwork to assist others. "We learned how to work together despite disagreeing with each other sometimes. The whole camp was about teamwork; working together and helping others," reflects Ifna.

Volunteering can also teach initiative and help leadership skills. Those are things Ifna knows a great deal about, too. An avid volunteer, she lends a hand every Saturday at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. "I learned a lot of people skills [at the hospital] because you have to talk to people who are under a lot of stress. So you learn how to calm people down." As a "floater" she helps nurses discharge patients, assists patients with their packing, and keeps them company if they simply need someone to talk to. She's also helped in the pediatrics ward, caring for babies and handing out birth certificates to be completed by parents. "Also I realized that you can come in and ask for things to do," she says. "So I learned to take charge."

As part of her school's Youth Extending Services volunteer club, Ifna also goes trick or treating each Halloween to collect cans of food to take to the local food shelter. And once a year she goes to Sharing and Caring Hands of Minneapolis to help serve meals. While you may not be able to do as much volunteering as Ifna, you can do your part. By volunteering, you can help people in your community gain invaluable work experience, maybe find a mentor, and explore a possible future career.

Here are some helpful guidelines to get you started.

* Find something that interests you--choose a volunteer organization or activity that focuses on something you enjoy, that's important to you, or that you think you can do well.

* Always consider the time factor--remember, you still have schoolwork so don't take on more than you can handle. Decide if you'll volunteer to work weekends or after school. And if neither will work out, there's always the summer.

* Call or visit a few organizations before you make a final decision--once you've decided which organization you'd like to work with, give them a call and ask to speak to their volunteer coordinator. Try organizations such as Habitat For Humanity, the YMCA or YWCA, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Red Cross, or your local hospital or community center.

* Be dependable--after you've committed yourself to volunteering, always show up on time, ready to work. For more information, visit www.seviceleader.org.