Not the community, but a community: transforming youth into citizens through volunteer work

Public discourse suggests that volunteer work will transform youth into productive citizens by connecting youth to their communities. However, the meaning and practice of 'community' is rarely defined or investigated. Using interview and observation data from a study of 47 volunteers aged 15-23, I argue that there are three different types of community youth commonly join via volunteer work. One kind of community was composed of a homogenous group of students. A second type of community was formed from a diverse group of volunteers and far-flung networks of marginalized groups. A third community developed when youth became attached to a city-wide web of nonprofit agencies but formed few ties to other volunteers and clients. The types of communities youth join through their volunteer work may shape their ongoing civic and political socialization differently.