Volunteering as a family is a great way to teach children that they can make a difference where help is needed. There are many opportunities for children to get involved in helping animals, people, and communities or simply do their part to help Mother Nature. A family that volunteers, soon learns that it’s expensive; it costs time, energy, requires us to give of ourselves and our talents and many times it costs money to volunteer. Volunteering as a family teaches children that people are happier and healthier when they work together to make life easier for others.
Sometimes it’s hard for children to understand why they should give of their time and their selves to volunteer. Volunteering is about helping others and in return helps us make new friends, gain new skills and experiences that enrich our lives, participate in community building activities to strengthen our commitment to the world around us and it helps build positive self-confidence and makes us feel better about ourselves. Volunteering is as much about the things you give as it is about the benefits we get in return.
Volunteer opportunities are unlimited; everywhere you look there is something that can be done for someone else. Many times we can simply work toward connecting with people, there are many lonely and sad people that look forward to spending time with others, and this is especially true when working with the elderly. Doing our part to help take care of Mother Nature by protecting wildlife and keeping nature areas clean from trash is a way that we can volunteer and give back to our community.
When you teach a child to volunteer, you teach them to be kind to others; they learn compassion, understanding, and how to care for other living things. Through volunteering children and families learn how people and living creatures need help around the world. Volunteering give children the chance to learn and explore new things, they learn how to cope with the difficulties and troubles of everyday life, make new friends and meet new people, they learn that they are more in control of their own lives and that the decisions they make can affect the rest of their life in a positive or negative way.
Decisions regarding volunteering as a family should be made by all family members who will be expected to participate. Choosing activities that the whole family can do may be difficult, especially where small children and older adults are considered. Volunteering outdoors with farming and building projects is a great way to engage the whole family, however the weather and outdoor temperature may impact your decision, particularly in very hot or very cold weather. At the same time volunteering in a clinic or office setting or hospital are not good choices for indoor activities because it limits the participation and engagement of young children.
Many times there are family volunteering opportunities in your community that the entire family can participate in and gain some experience before taking your volunteer efforts to larger scale of even internationally.
Here are two options to consider:
- Make an impact internationally from your very own home.
- Plan a volunteer vacation with your family.
Your family can make a difference anywhere in the world, from your very own home. You can choose to work together to earn and save money that would be contributed to the cause of your choice. Children and families around the world, even in the United States struggle with hunger and finding the medical attention they need. Many local organizations provide funding and resources to help people in your own community.
As a family decide what’s important to you, homelessness, hunger, poverty, education … A great idea for young children is to invest in projects that help other young children around the world, possibly helping a child be able to go to school, buy much needed clothes or help provide food for their family. The sky’s the limit for the creativity of a child. Get your family, especially the children involved through researching volunteer ideas on the internet. This is a fantastic way to educate and expose children to other parts of the world.
Family vacations are a great way to plan volunteer activities. Volunteering on both international and domestic vacations allows families to experience the life and culture of other people. Volunteer options for families are typically flexible, offer a wide range of time commitments and have travel dates available year around. VolunteerFamily.org provides information through a number of different agencies and is a great resource for families who are just getting started. Many of these packages are reasonably priced and affordable for the whole family.
Some of the exciting family volunteer trips include: conservation management, wildlife preservation, working with the elderly and orphanages, building community areas and family homes.
Have you ever lived on a reservation? Children and their families can work and visit an American Indian reservation through the Global Volunteers network (www.globalvolunteers.org). Global Volunteers helps to support the Blackfeet American Indians by providing community service work projects that the entire family will enjoy. Global Volunteers opens their volunteer opportunities to families without specific limitations on children under the age of 8 to 12 years. They work to find activities that everyone will enjoy.
Families of all ages have the chance to help others through family service opportunities in several different countries and numerous locations. Cross-Cultural Solutions (www.crossculturalsolutions.org) is an international not-for-profit organization that invests in sustainable community initiatives. Cross-Cultural Solutions has age limits (12 years old and up) for children participating in their family service program. Cross-Cultural Solutions volunteer programs are knows for their commitment to safety through extensive pre-departure support, ability to meet your daily needs in-country—including lodging, all meals, and transportation and the availability of knowledgeable and professional local staff to support you and your family.
As parents we try hard to protect our children from life, trouble, problems and preserve the best life we can for them. Volunteering helps us see that the world is not perfect and that there are many places, people and animals that need help. Volunteering gives children and their families away to give back to those who are less fortunate.
