Giving back is one of the best ways to make a difference in our community. Parents sometimes organize school events or community bake sales to raise funds. Being generous and helpful towards others are values we want our kids to have. So as early as now, we can help our kids get involved in the community.
They can go as far as taking online courses to get a diploma of community of services if they want to volunteer for a long-term. But right now, let us guide them in their first steps into community service. Here are ideas and suggestions to get our teens into the community life.
Donating old clothes to the community center
If there’s one thing all our kids have in common, it’s that they are fond of hoarding clothes. Why not? Some are gifts from friends or hold some sort of sentimental value. But there are clothes that are just sitting in their cabinets that no longer fit them anymore. Then this is a great time to have them choose which old clothes or shoes they want to donate to your local community center.
Have a simple food drive every month
This does not need to be really big food drives. It could be as simple as fixing sandwiches they can give to the homeless people on one whole weekend. They can ask their friends to do it with them, too. But they can also dedicate one shopping trip to buy non-perishable groceries so homeless families will have some food to share with each other.
Find websites where your kids can check out other community projects
Websites like DoSomething.org lets your kids help the community in a way that they are passionate about. They will be able to help at their own pace, too, especially since some of our teens are busy with school. They can also choose which type of service they want to participate in like donating money or in kind, maybe they want to do face to face community involvement. Some of the things they can do include creating activity books for children in the hospital or raising awareness for a certain cause.
Or a website that is as unique as freerice.com where the organization behind it will give 10 grains of rice through World Food Programme for every right answer you get about vocabulary.
Be on the lookout for special events that raise funds for charity
A lot of organizations hold events like marathons, concerts, or food fiesta where proceeds will go directly to a charity. They can join the event in two ways: participate by going as an attendee of the event, or participate by volunteering as an organizer of the event. Either way, they are helping the charity that the organization is representing.
Volunteer to spend time with kids or the elderly
Sometimes, all it takes to help other people is our presence. You can ask your kids if they want to read a story for kids in their local library, or volunteer to play with children in the hospital. They can also choose an elderly home that take in volunteers and spend time doing fun activities with them.
They can always start their own non-profit group and partner with bigger organisations to help your cause. But here are stepping stones for our kids to start a life filled with generosity and selflessness.
