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When Cami Teoch’s son turned three she set out to look for volunteer opportunities they could do together. he made Lover Card for senior citizens. He took walks and picked up garbage. They helped harvest produce in community gardens and made seed balls from soil and threw them into the forest to promote the growth of wild flowers.
Tkoach had contacted several organizations looking for volunteer projects she could do with her young child, but most places declined, so she came up with her own project.
“Everyone was like, ‘A 3-year-old can’t do that,'” Tkoach said. “And I said, ‘No, I swear, he can really do it if you give him a chance.'”
Volunteering with children can build youth confidence, teach social and problem-solving skills, and provide unique ways for families to come together. During the holiday season, many people are looking for such opportunities, and ways to give back.
But often non-profit organizations look for helpers who are at least 18 years of age. Finding volunteer work in a family with young children can be challenging, but there are opportunities if you persevere.
“There are a million different ways for people to help and volunteer. So many families want to do this and really don’t know where to start,” said Polly Lagana, executive director of Volunteer. new york!, which connects people with service opportunities. “In a turbulent time in our world, families – and especially parents – are very interested in showing their children how they can help and give back.”
Children Excelling in activities like sorting coats, packing groceries and completing tasks, said Sapreet Saluja, executive director of New York Cares, which works with organizations to develop volunteer programs in New York City.
“I’ve been very impressed by the detail-orientation and precision and adherence to instructions and care that I’ve seen some of the children as young as six years old bring to the work they’re doing,” Saluja said. “It’s been explained to them that this is to benefit someone, and that’s important, and they’re following instructions and they want to do it exactly right. And in many cases, they’re more detail-oriented than adults, which I think is very inspiring.”
To get started, look for organizations in your community that match volunteers with family-friendly projects and reach out to ask if there is a minimum age requirement.
Here are some other ways to involve young children in projects that help the community.
provide options
Children want agency and information to make decisions, Lagana said, so include them when you choose an activity.
“Tell them what problem you’re trying to fix in your community, and maybe give one or two options for how that problem could be fixed,” Lagana said. For example, you could explain that there are people who don’t have enough food, and children in the hospital who don’t have blankets, and then ask, ‘Who do you think you would want to help?’ He suggested.
Consider volunteering for a mission that you can explain to your child, such as cleaning up litter in a park.
,Children Incredibly curious. They ask questions about what they’re doing, what they’re seeing, what they’re feeling, what they’re hearing and it opens up a dialogue.” “It helps you see some of the challenges facing society even at a young age and it gives you the agency to know that you can be part of the solution,” Saluja said.
sharing food
Children understand hunger and they can help reduce this problem. They may sort grocery boxes at food pantries or help deliver food to homebound individuals.
Aviva Davis was about eight years old when she and her brother Brandon began helping their parents with deliveries meals on Wheels For seniors and medically vulnerable individuals in Denver. Initially, they rode in the car with their parents and helped bring food to the door. When they grew up, they took turns driving.
“It definitely opened my eyes to what the world is like outside of our bubble. We saw all kinds of different things and I saw that not everyone lives the same way,” said Davis, now 17. “But even at such a young age I realized that it’s amazing that by doing what we do, we can help people who are not as fortunate as us.”
Davis became a resource for fellow students looking to volunteer at the school. She still does monthly food distribution with her parents.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to be together as a family,” said his father, Seth Davis. “When we’re not all on our phones, you get some good quality time.”
Her brother is now in college, but when he is at home, they also do deliveries.
“The older they get, the harder it is to spend that time together,” said their mother, Bonnie Davis, who found the Meals on Wheels opportunity after extensive research.
create your own opportunities
When Teochew couldn’t find organizations willing to accept her child, she started a group in Pittsburgh called VolunteerOT, which creates service opportunities for children as young as 3 years old. Children and their parents pack 500 boxes of groceries to distribute to needy families, play bingo with seniors in nursing homes and treat dogs for an animal rescue center, among other projects.
Parents have told TeCoach that their children’s behavior improves after volunteering. “They feel a lot better about themselves, they were helpful and that translates into better behavior,” he said.
Stephanie Barnaba’s family started a project called “Tough Cookies”, where they baked and delivered cookies to veterans, when her son Matthew was in eighth grade and had to complete a service project for school.
“Going to the homes, it was great, because they’re mostly living alone. Many of their family or friends died,” said Michael Barnaba, 14, now a freshman at The Prout School in Wakefield, Rhode Island. “It’s great to be there and bring it to them… They were so happy, especially for someone to bring them such a gift.”
Stephanie Barnaba said the project also helped the teens learn social skills and meet people in different stages of life and health conditions.
“We went to the first few places and I was really scared, because I’m a shy person,” said Matthew Barnaba, now 15. “For the first few deliveries I was more by myself, and as we went on, we interacted more with the veterans and got to hear great stories from them.”
friends make it fun
Kids may be more willing to try new activities with a friend, so consider signing up with people you know.
You can also connect with a nonprofit organization in need of a service and invite other families to do a project together, as Lagana’s friends have done, organizing a clothing donation or assembling snack packs in the living room.
Bonnie Davis organized a drive for menstrual supplies, and families gathered in her backyard to collect baskets. She turned half of her son’s graduation party into a volunteer project assembling bean soup kits.
“It’s a win-win for everybody. You get quality time, you’re raising your kids with good values and that benefits people,” he said.
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