by Aaron Viles
Volunteering is central to my life, both in my free time giving back to my community and in my profession working as a grassroots organizer. I know the power of volunteers to make change and how volunteering can connect neighbors and friends to one another and the world around them. That’s why it dismays me to read stories about how volunteering hit a 10-year low in 2014, and how it didn’t make much of a comeback in 2015.
The best way to reverse this trend is to make volunteering part of people’s lives while they’re young. But for too many kids, the only exposure to volunteering is through school-mandated service learning hours. While these programs are an important and valuable way to introduce kids to giving back, too often students are simply told to do community service without any idea about what that service could be or how to find opportunities that are both helpful and personally rewarding.
For parents and other adults keen on seeing the children in their lives reap the benefits of volunteering, here are a few ideas to help them get started and find the right opportunity:
Look for volunteer work with visible results
The Bureau of Labor Statistics only tracks volunteers over 16 years old, but we all know that there is no age limit on volunteering. That said, asking young children to help stuff envelopes all day may not be the best way to inspire them to a life of giving back. Instead, look for volunteer opportunities that are a little more like play than work.
Helping harvest a community garden or plant trees in a local park can give young kids a chance to do something physical that uses up their energy (a win for parents), but also has a tangible product that clearly illustrates the benefits of their volunteer time. Being able to take home a sampling of the vegetables to make dinner or spending the next Sunday afternoon at the park where they volunteered can reinforce the impact their work has.
The principle applies to older kids and teenagers too. For example, Habitat for Humanity and similar home-building opportunities not only provide volunteers with the sense of satisfaction that comes from building something, but introduce them to the people they’re helping. Seeing how your volunteer hours make a real difference to real people is a powerful teaching moment that can inspire a lifetime of service.
Make it Social
Adults often cite the chance to meet new people and spend time with friends as a reason to volunteer. The same applies to kids. Participating in a local waterway cleanup is a lot more fun when your friends are there to laugh and gawk with you at the crazy trash you find.
We often associate peer pressure with its negative impacts, such as kids talked into drinking or trying drugs. But peer pressure can also be used for good. If all your friends are spending Saturday sorting donations at the local food bank, you’re a lot more likely to want to go too. Is peer pressure the best reason to volunteer? No. But it can clearly show kids that volunteering doesn’t have to be a chore. In fact, it can be another way to have fun with your friends and family that also happens to do some good along the way. For kids reluctant to volunteer, it could be the push they need.
Connect it to something they already love
Volunteering doesn’t always have to happen under the auspices of a professional organization or large-scale event. In fact, some of the most meaningful experiences that help drive home the value of volunteering happen when you can share something important to you with others. Our kids are already swamped with activities from soccer to dance class and piano lessons. These interests and skills can inspire unique and personal volunteer opportunities.
For instance, rather than just practicing “Stairway to Heaven” in her bedroom, your child could put on a performance at a nursing home or children’s ward of a hospital. Better still, she could work with her guitar instructor to organize multiple students to play in a real show. Sports-focused teens can take their love of the game and impart it to others as a coach for younger children or volunteer as an umpire or referee in the local little league.
Let them decide what to do
While volunteering is a community-focused endeavor, the decision about where to volunteer your time is ultimately very personal. It’s important to remember that your causes may not be your children’s. Rather than cajole your kids into joining you at a local soup kitchen, talk with them about their community interests. An animal lover could be a great help to a local shelter during an adoption event. Teens passionate about the outdoors may want to volunteer at a camp that helps underprivileged younger children access the outdoors. If your kid has loved ones who have been touched by cancer, HIV or another illness, they may be interested in fundraising for research.
The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts provide excellent examples. Both organizations put community service at their core and provide many opportunities for the children involved to give back. But the Eagle Scout project for boys and the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for girls encourage scouts to come up with a service project related to a cause of personal interest. By centering the choice on the volunteer, you get buy-in from the kids that inspires more devoted action.
Becoming a lifelong volunteer begins with a first experience. By starting young and finding fun and personal ways for the kids in your life to give back to their community, you can inspire them to place community service at the center of their lives for decades to come.
Aaron Viles is a Senior Grassroots Organizer for Care2. He works with citizen authors on The Petition Site to create petitions that will win concrete victories for animals, the environment, and other progressive causes. Prior to Care2 he spent decades working within the non-profit environmental advocacy field. Aaron honed his craft while working for Gulf Restoration Network, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and Faithful America. He began his career with Green Corps, the field school for environmental organizing. When not in front of a screen or on a conference call, Aaron can be found doting on his daughters, pedaling furiously to keep up with the peloton, and serving as a volunteer leader for the Sierra Club, Dogwood Alliance and his church.