Young people taking part in the local Summer of Service are helping others while also developing skills that will serve them well in the future.

This summer, 73 middle school and high school students are participating in the program sponsored by the United Way of Douglas County. Among the other duties the volunteers are helping distribute food at the Penn House mobile food pantry, serving meals at LINK and working at the Lawrence Humane Society.

Their work has a host of benefits beyond just providing a helping hand at some local agencies. Teens interviewed for a story in Monday’s Journal-World expressed surprise at the number of people in the community who need food assistance. That awareness may be a little jolting for young people who take such things for granted.

The opportunity to interact with people who have different lives and face different challenges also is a valuable life experience. Hopefully, the young people also enjoy the camaraderie of working with fellow volunteers.

For young people who communicate so regularly through text messages and Facebook, the simple act of one-on-one personal interactions with clients and other volunteers can be an important learning experience. “It has made me better at talking to people,” said one volunteer. That’s a basic skill that will benefit these young volunteers as they continue their education or enter the workforce.

More and more, volunteer service has become an important consideration for college and job applications. Hopefully the students participating in the Summer of Service will see their work as more than something to put on their resumes. It’s great to see local young people getting an early lesson in how volunteering contributes to a fulfilling life.