Youth Volunteer Application - Calvin College: Fill & Download for Free

Get offline. Don't watch TV or use Facebook to "fill time" unless you've got a show you really want to watch, concentrating on something like crafts can be fun and educational, a conversation you're really excited about having on the internet, or an article or website you're having fun exploring.Make something. Doing easy art projects like collages from old magazines, or drawing doodles of your pets can be a great way to use your time to create, it helps on art skills. If you're unhappy with the result, tear it up and start again.Play a game. In the classic comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes," the boy and his pet tiger would play a game called Calvinball, a game that constantly changed its rules as the two played. Basically, the game involved running around with masks on and thwacking different kinds of balls with sticks. What mattered wasn't that the game was perfect, but that they were playing it.Learn a classic game like chess, backgammon, or poker. Learning the rules is somewhat complex, but it's a good skill to pick up. Then, you'll know how to play forever. If you don't like the game, nix it and learn another.Write a list. What are your top ten films starring superheroes? What are your top five things to eat on rainy days? What was your worst Christmas? Writing out a list can be a fun way to pass the time. Do best/worst lists for any subject. Have a sibling or friend do the same list. Argue about the other's results.Listen to new music. If you're feeling bored, learning about and enjoying some new music is a great way to pass the time. Hop on an online music service like Pandora or Spotify to create a playlist and expose yourself to new sounds. While you're checking out the tunes, multitask by reading about the bands online.Visit Bandcamp and Soundcloud to check out underground sounds. Consider starting your own channel on sites like Youtube and uploading your own sounds, rants, or songs.Form a band. Start dreaming up various line-ups and styles of music you and your friends might create. Even if you don't play an instrument, writing out song titles and scheming for your rock opera can be a fun way to pass the time.Write a letter. Get in touch with an old friend in pen-and-paper form. Write a full letter, or find a funny postcard and adorn it with cartoons and drawings of your cat. Address your boredom in the letter. The fact that you thought to reach out to a friend will impress and entertain them. Catch them up on your interests, successes, and dreams.Draw silly, comics-style pictures to illustrate your letter. It doesn't matter if you're not a world-class artist - your friend will appreciate your humor and creativity.Write a letter to a stranger. Pick somebody out of the phonebook and write them a letter as seriously as you'd write to a friend. Just don't be creepy.Make mistakes. Risky things like asking out the cute barista or learning to skateboard are easy to say "no" to. You can come up with a million reasons to NOT do something, but NOT doing things is what makes you bored. Instead, start coming up with reasons to act. Do what scares you. What's the worst that can happen?Be spontaneous and keep boredom away. Never thought of riding your brother's skateboard until just this moment? Dig it out of the garage and give it a shot.Be social. You can join a club or a youth group to have structured time or make plans with friends on your own. If you're feeling like there's nothing to do, there's no better way to overcome idle boredom than being with people. Call your friends and organize an outing, or bug one of your neighbors for a pickup game of basketball. Even if you're just walking downtown together, or getting coffee, you're doing something new. Hang out with your regular friends, or reconnect with old acquaintances to shake up your routine.It's increasingly easy to spend time on Facebook or other social media "socializing," but these forms of communicating can lead to feelings of isolation and boredom rather than real, meaningful interactions with people. There's no substitute for face-to-face socializing.Do something physical. Shooting some baskets in the park or going for a long walk will give you energy and keep your mind active, keeping boredom away and keeping you in shape as well.If you always take the bus to work, consider riding a bicycle. If you walk to school, ride a longboard. You can shake up your typical route, making each day a kind of adventure, and you'll exercise while you travel.Take a nap. You try a bunch of activities, but nothing keeps you busy? Go to sleep.If you can't sleep, then try listening to music to help you fall asleep.Join an intramural sports league or an informal club, like an ultimate frisbee group. Socializing and exercising at the same time will keep boredom at bay.Get a job or volunteer. If you consistently find yourself with too much "free time," consider getting a part-time job or volunteering your time somewhere. Making money or helping people will fill up your free time in a productive way that leaves you feeling fulfilled.Hospitals, nursing homes, soup kitchens, and animal shelters are generally in need of volunteers. Aside from being incredibly rewarding and emotionally fulfilling, volunteer work like this looks very attractive on resumes or college applications.If you want the flexible hours of the self-employed, get yourself a lawnmower and start knocking on your neighbors' doors. Spending time outdoors mowing lawns for cash can be a great way to pass the long summer afternoons and give you some pocket-money to do fun things in the evenings.Start making things. Start writing that novel or short story you've always wanted to find the time to write, or knitting your sister a scarf. Get the old guitar out of the attic and learn a new song. Even cleaning your closet can be a welcome source of entertainment on an empty Sunday afternoon.Do your homework. Seemingly the source of boredom rather than the cure for it, staying on top of any home or housework you've got to do will occupy your time in a productive way. Avoiding something you need to do at the same time as you're sitting around bored is a lose-lose scenario.Doing something pointless is less boring than doing nothing.[2] A recent study showed that people doing relatively pointless tasks, like window shopping at the drugstore, were less bored than people who sat doing nothing for the same amount of time. Doing something you may not "want" to do is better than doing nothing.Learn a new skill. Devoting yourself to a new hobby or craft will give you the promise of many busy hours to come. Take up an instrument or knitting. Cooking your way through "The Cuisine of Thailand" will keep you out of a dinner rut and ensure that you're the most popular pot-luck guest on the block.Research your new interest at the library. Spending some time going about your task the right way will ensure that you stick with it and avoid the early traps of the novice. Going out and buying a brand new trombone on a bored Saturday isn't a great idea if you don't know the first thing about playing it.Lay out a schedule for developing your new skills, ensuring that you'll have something to look forward to in off-time.Take the longer route. Taking to the windy country roads will make for a possibly-longer drive than the interstate, but will keep you engaged in the trip and keep boredom in the backseat. Switching up your way of getting from Point A to Point B consistently will shake up your routine and ensure that each day is a new experience.Take breaks. A recent study found that subjects who took two minute breaks in the middle of a boring 50-minute task were much more focused, relaxed, and productive at the end of the task.[3] If you're setting out on a long project, give yourself something to look forward to by queuing up a YouTube video, song, or article you're looking forward to reading and reward yourself for thirty minutes of work with a short two-minute break.Get out of your workspace for a quick minute. Even if you just walk to the kitchen for a glass of water, a couple of minutes can be refreshing. Go out to the garden and smell the flowers to get some fresh air.Try doodling.[4] If you find yourself in the middle of a "boring" lecture or meeting, try doodling discreetly on a piece of paper. Research suggests that the activity keeps you focused and listening by engaging your brain, rather than forcing it to resort to daydreams to occupy itself.Combine the doodling with note-taking to keep you extra focused on these occasions, improving memory and actively engaging you in the discussion or lecture.Quiet your workspace. It's a common misconception that leaving the radio or television on quietly in the background will create a relaxing and productive workplace. Unfortunately, this has a tendency to divide your attention on a subconscious level, registering more feelings of boredom than when working in total silence. Focusing on one task entirely, even if that activity is "boring," is a smarter idea than dividing your brain with competing stimuli.Use music or radio as a reward, rather than a distraction. Taking measured breaks over the course of a boring activity will end up making you more productive than trying to push through without one, but letting radio chatter along in the background throughout.Avoid daydreaming. Daydreaming about other places and more desirable activities will intensify boredom rather than alleviate it. Catching yourself in the middle of a daydream will likewise give you the impression that the activity you're engaging in is boring, even if you would normally find it stimulating.Alternatively, repetitive tasks like scrubbing the floor or mowing the lawn are a good opportunity for daydreaming. Tasks that require little "presence" won't be noticeably affected by daydreaming.Regulate your blood-sugar.[5] When your blood-sugar levels drop, you'll start noticing that it's increasingly difficult to pay attention to your work. Keep healthy snacks like nuts or fruit available in your work desk to keep your brain functioning at its highest level. Reward yourself with a bit of chocolate for finishing a particularly difficult homework assignment or series of memos at the office.Energy drinks and other caffeine sources are popular, but the "crash" associated with high-sugar caffeine drinks will end up affecting your productivity in the long run. Avoid these stimulants to keep from falling back in the bored rut.Stay active. Some people like working on exercise balls instead of computer chairs, or using other ergonomic office gear to stay active, but you don't have to spend a lot of money to get moving. Popping out of the office for a quick walk, or taking fifteen minutes to do a light stretching routine in the bathroom will increase your energy levels and keep your attention from waning.If you have a treadmill, try working on a treadmill desk. Standing up and working has proven to be a healthy and efficient way to stay focused.tsk. no. i didn't compose this list. This is where I got it from - How to Overcome Boredom