Then you are ready to get into it with 4-H. Be prepared to make a difference.

Go to: www.areyouintoit.com

...you're just plain C.O.O.L and already in college?

Then the Campus Outreach Opportunity League is perfect for you. They help college students start, strengthen and expand their community service programs. The COOL Web site lists organizations that can help students to get involved in improving their communities and the environment.

Go to: www.COOL2SERVE.org

...you want to get your entire school involved in making change?

Then Do Something, a national nonprofit organization that encourages young people to help build their communities, is the right place for you. One Do Something event is the Kindness and Justice Challenge, a nationwide two-week "character education" and community service effort held in January. Go to: www.dosomething.org

...you want to literally build a better world?

Then grab a hammer and head to Habitat for Humanity. Check out their youth volunteer website.

Go to: www.habitat.org/default.html

...you always want to do something to help people after natural disasters, like hurricanes or earthquakes?

Then visit United Way's Help site, which connects you to youth who are helping others by providing advice and support for people in need.

Go to: www.unitedway.org

...you're the outdoorsy type?

Then see Landmark Volunteers. It offers youth (14 years or older) the opportunity to spend two weeks volunteering at one of several important U.S. historical, cultural or environmental landmarks.

Go to: www.volunteers.com

...you're thinking that you want to try a one-time service project this year?

Then Make A Difference Day is the right time. This site includes a database of volunteer opportunities for Make A Difference Day held in October.

Go to: www.usaweekend.com/diffday

...you're more of a computer whiz then a camping pro?

Then log onto Power Up, a national organization that seeks to bridge the digital divide and bring the internet to kids in need.

Go to: www.powerup.org

...you want to read about what kind of volunteer work our teen neighbors to the north (in Canada) are doing?

Then check out Pitch In, an e-zine with articles written by youth volunteers.

Go to: www.pitchin.org

...you think there's no place like home and want to focus your volunteer efforts on your own community?

Then catch the spirit with The Prudential Spirit of Community Initiative. It is a series of programs designed to help rekindle America's community spirit by encouraging young people to become actively involved in making their communities better places to live.

Go to: www.prudential.com/community/spirit/cmszz1000.html

...you only have time to go to one place for information and resources on service and volunteering?

Then go to SERVEnet, where you can post and find volunteer and career opportunities, service news, events, best practices, and other resources.

Go to: www.servenet.org

...you're looking for good advice on volunteering?

Then go to Service Leader. They'll help you determine why you should do it, what kind of service is right for you, how to find a good match and when and where to get started.

Go to: www.serviceleader.org/advice/index.html

...you're a little crunchy (and we mean that in a good way) and want to learn more about America's natural resources?

Then the YOUTH VOLUNTEERS program, managed through the Forest Service, is a good deal for you. You must be between the ages of 14- and 17-years-old.

Go to: www.fs.fed.us/people/programs/volunteer.htm

...you want to recruit volunteers in your area?

Then go to Volunteer Match. You can post opportunities at your organization and find out about thousands more.

Go to: www.volunteermatch.org

...you know the problems in your neighborhood and are looking for real solutions?

Then you have to go to Youth as Resources. YAR is for youth, ages 5-21 and has a far-reaching capacity to bring new energy and ingenuity to solving social problems and bringing real services to neighborhoods, towns, and cities.

Go to: www.yar.org

--By Jennifer Seiderman and Heather Keets Wright