Youth under 16
Children under age 16 are not allowed on construction sites. However, participating in awareness activities and fundraising is a great way for young people to get involved with Habitat.

Youth ages 16 and older
Volunteers 16 and older are welcome at construction sites. It is up to the construction supervisor or crew leader for a given house project to decide what duties youth volunteers may do at a work site. This decision will be made for each house and could vary from week to week. Generally, activities can include all phases of construction except those activities involving power tools and heavy machinery.

Volunteers aged 16 and 17 who are present on the job site must have a release signed by a parent or guardian granting permission to volunteer on a construction site. Only individuals over age 18 are permitted to do actual construction, but 16 and 17-year-olds may help on-site with painting and cleanup duties. To ensure proper supervision, there will be a minimum of one adult for every two volunteers under the age of 18.

Age-appropriate activities for youth include:

Ages 5-7

• Make a welcome basket for the homeowner family and sing a song at dedicatio - dedication
• Stock the pantry for a new family
• Draw greeting cards to be sold at a Habitat fundraiser

Ages 8-10

• Draw messages or blessings on 2”x 4”s before the house framing
• Landscape, learn about the local environment and plant environmentally friendly trees and gardens
• Make wooden key holders, picture frames or doorstops from scraps on site

Ages 10-12

• Speak to classmates about the mission of Habitat with the help of a homeowner family
• Construct and paint window boxes to be used as housewarming gifts or as fund-raising items
• Help clear the construction site of debris before or after construction
• Design a T-shirt to be sold at a Habitat event
• Help fold or stuff newsletters or mailings

Ages 13-14

• Learn about another country where Habitat for Humanity builds, and coordinate a fund raiser to help sponsor a home there
• Register volunteers at the construction site information table
• Paint doors and baseboards off site before they are put into the house

Ages 15-17

• Build picnic or lunch tables for the work site
• Tutor younger partner family children
• Clean a Habitat house before the dedication