There’s nothing more intimidating than walking up to students, as a new volunteer. No matter who you are, students won’t introduce themselves, they won’t make you feel welcome, and they will likely avoid you. And when this happens your first temptation will be to go find the nearest group of adults and talk only to them. Fight that temptation.
God has called you to help students grow closer to Him, and thankfully there are a few things you can do to overcome the intimidation and allow God to work through you:
Pray
Pray that you would be sensitive to God’s leading
Pray that God would lead you to the students He has for you
Pray that Jesus would make Himself known through you
Commit
Commit to knowing a small group of students (5 or less)
Commit to learning their names and listening to their stories
Commit to praying for them
Share
Share things you like with them
Share why you’re there
Share stories of God’s work in your life
It may take some time, maybe a lot of time, but whether you’re a new volunteer, or one that’s been around forever, when you Pray, Commit, and Share, God will show up in your life and use you to change the lives of others.
If you’re a youth leader or volunteer, what other practices have you found helpful?
Alan Conrow 
Great advice. Maybe I’d include this under prayer. I find it helps to ask God to help me get excited to see the students. It can be hard to walk into youth group after a rough day and give them your best, so I try to ask God to get me happy to see them so I’m ready to pour love into ’em. Because no one can sniff out a fake like your students!
Good call. I created a “prayer” category.