High school students’ occupational experiences volunteering at a children’s center

Abstract

Volunteering at children's centers by high school students will make these centers meaningful places for them. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the occupational experiences of high school students who volunteer at a children's center. The participants were seven high school students who had been volunteering at Mihara Children's Center for more than six months. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis. Seven themes were identified: freedom and ease, a sense of being myself, comfort and inclusion, anxiety and achievement through challenges, the pleasure of usefulness, a sense of connection to the future, and attachment to the children's center. By giving high school students the experience of being able to be themselves and feeling useful through volunteering, children's centers will become a place where they can belong. Volunteering at children's centers may expand the world of high school students spatially and connect them to a hopeful future.