Youth Volunteers

Getting Kids Involved in Volunteer Activities Gives Them a Bigger World View

By
Relationship Advice Expert April Masini

I am the father of three great kids, ages 4, 7 and 10. We are lucky to be able to afford most creature comforts, but I am starting to get concerned that the fact my kids never "want" for anything is giving them a warped view of the world. I have tried to give them lectures on what the world is like for a lot of kids who aren't as lucky as they are, but it seems to be going in one ear and out the other. They seem to just be too young to understand that there is more to the world than just them -- they are responsible for being a productive part of their community as well.

Do you have any tips to get them excited about helping out in the community and invested in volunteer efforts? I don't want it to be a chore for them; I really want this to become a lifelong habit.

Sincerely,

Do-Good Dad

Dear Do-Good Dad,

You didn't mention in your letter whether you volunteer yourself. The best thing for you to do is to lead by example. Your consciousness of the situation at hand seems to be a good start!

But you're right; kids aren't naturally inclined to serve at soup kitchens or raise money for AIDS research. Here are a couple of tips for breaking volunteering down to a "kid-friendly" activity that your children will understand and raising kids who care.

TIP #1: START A FAMILY TRADITION –VOLUNTEERING

Set an example for family values by volunteering as a family on a regular basis — even if it’s only annually, or just during the holidays (ie: volunteer to serve holiday meals in soup kitchen, deliver meals to the elderly for the holidays, bake cookies and deliver them to senior citizen homes, donate toys, clothes and food to shelters, etc.) . Pick a cause or a charity that has significance to your family and that isn’t too far away, so that you will actually do it. Charities for the elderly, battered women, the homeless or even your local hospital and senior citizen home can all use your help. Make volunteering a family tradition.

More ideas?
• Wash the car. Forget the car wash. Make the family car, a family project – and then open your services up to the public — for a donation, with the proceeds going to a charity your kids select… and have them deliver the check.
• Organize a community bake off, for charity, with the “baked contestants” being auctioned off to the highest bidders. Each baker would be baking for his or her charity of choice.
• Hold a dance-a-thon. Conducted much like any marathon, your dancers would obtain “sponsors” who would donate money based upon the number of hours danced – without stopping, with the proceeds going to charity.

TIP #2 DEMONSTRATE THAT IT’S COOL TO BE A VOLUNTEER

How? Also, simple. Start watching, researching, following and discussing charities, and various celebrities that are involved with them, around the dinner table.

Kids (of all ages) like interesting factoids like:

QUESTION: Can you name the Forbes Magazine billionaire who donated a billion dollars to the UN?

ANSWER: Ted Turner.

QUESTION: What is the name and the mission of the foundation that the world’s richest man, Bill Gates, is leaving Microsoft to focus on? How much money is Bill Gates donating to charity?

ANSWERS: Foundation Name: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Foundation Mission: There are two simple values that lie at the core of the foundation’s work:
1) All lives—no matter where they are being led—have equal value.
2) To whom much has been given, much is expected.
Amount Donated: 100 billion dollars

QUESTION: What is the name of the movie star who has been Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees since 2001, and who has stated on numerous occasions
that she wants to quit acting and concentrate on her UN work?

ANSWER: Angelina Jolie.

QUESTION: PEOPLE Magazine bought the first pictures of Shiloh, from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, for $4.1 million. Where did the money go?

ANSWER: 100% of it went to an un-named children’s charity.

April Masini -- nicknamed "the new millennium's Dear Abby" by the media, is author of the best-selling books Date Out Of Your League and Think & Date Like A Man, the two (just released) step-by-step dating and relationship manuals, Ideas for a Fun Date and Romantic Date Ideas, and the critically acclaimed dating and relationship online magazine www.AskApril.com.

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