|
Every child's first community is home. And what children see and hear greatly influences how they interact with one another in the broader communities of neighborhood, school, country and ultimately the world. Parents should lead by example. If children observe a spirit of volunteerism in the home, they learn to think outside themselves. The old adage that charity begins at home applies in this situation.
Schools often play a role in teaching children social responsibility. They run fundraisers around the holidays as a measure of teaching children to donate food and clothing to those less fortunate. In many neighborhoods, local charities hang plastic bags on doors and ask for donations. There are small cups on the counters in grocery stores requesting spare change to aid the homeless, the infirm, and victims of natural disasters like the tsunami that occurred on December 26, 2004. These situations, while unfortunate, provide an opportunity to teach children how to volunteer their time, effort and creativity.
For example, in the aftermath of the tsunami, there have been countless ways that parents and their children could volunteer their time and resources. Whether through the Red Cross, UNICEF or the local church charity, there were and are many fundraisers that continue. Take the loose change from shopping and have a child drop it into one of the donor boxes. When donating the money, explain to your children how each penny and dime might contribute to water purification, purchasing of medicine and efforts to rebuild. One dime might buy only one nail, but combined with nine other dimes, it might buy enough nails to put up one wall and then another and another. Gather together discarded clothing and donate it to the Red Cross or Salvation Army drive centers. Donate and allow your children to witness and be a part of the process. Go on a recycling drive; sell the cans and bottles to a redemption center and allow your children to use the proceeds to make a donation. Teaching children that every act of compassion counts, no matter how slight it seems on the surface, can have far reaching consequences. We want our children to be successful, not only in a materialistic sense, but also in terms of becoming socially conscious and compassionate individuals. A Gradual Approach Between work, carpools, schooling, after school activities and housework, it might seem like too much to teach these broad based ideas to your children. The answer lies simply in starting small. True, the world outside the front door is a large one. But beginning with the porch or the front yard, you can gradually expand you children's awareness of how individual action, well coordinated can have a wider impact.
When natural disasters like a tsunami or an earth quake strikes, especially in a different part of the world, use the opportunity to educate and remind your children that ours is a global community, with people from all walks of life and cultures who are rich in their own flavor and history. Through focusing on the uniqueness of people unlike themselves, through appreciation of their history and culture, children can develop compassion for these strangers who are far away and need a helping hand.
The Basic Idea Be prepared for your children to ask lots of questions, as they begin to learn that there is a world of need beyond their front door. Don't be afraid to discuss their questions with them. Volunteerism involves a process of growing, learning, questioning, and developing personal convictions. If it's correct that we get out of this world what we offer to it, then volunteerism is the self-fulfilling offering. Because in learning to value and give to others, our children learn to value and give to themselves. Some additional suggestions to encourage volunteerism at home: * Identify at least one cause or need in your community and volunteer to help. Be sure to let your child know why you think it is important and how you are trying to help with it.
* Find and share success stories with your child. It is easy to be overwhelmed by problems. But even kids can make a difference. Talk about the importance of joining forces. Encourage your child to involve other kids in tackling big projects such as creek or playground clean up.
* responsible behavior from being involved in the community to turning off the lights and appliances when not in use. Recycle.
* Reduce consumption of goods. Do not buy items in excess.
* Volunteer to help a group at your child's school to beautify the grounds.
* Be aware of government officials at the local, state and national levels. Encourage your children to write them of their concerns and at the same time, write your own notes to them.
* Most importantly, remember to choose activities not randomly but ones that you feel involved with; parental emotion is something children pick up on.
* Vote! Take your children with you so they can see you participating. _______________________________________ By Heather Long
|
