Kids Can... Get the Job Done! By Giving Service In the Community
If you already know of a job that needs doing or have seen something around your school or neighborhood that needs fixing up, that might be a great way to give service. Talk to an adult in your school, neighborhood or church about organizing kids and adults to tackle the job. If you don't already know of something that needs to get done in your community or you do, but would like to hook up with others who are already working on it, you can try one of the following organizations...
Help build houses for the homeless! Learn how you can donate your time or raise money for this great charity. Not only do they create homes for those who need them, but they help people learn useful skills.
The Big Help -"Nickelodeon's ongoing, pro-social campaign to connect kids to their communities through volunteering. " This year's Big Help focus is on parks cleaning and fixing up local parks. The slogan is: "Make your mark! Help your park!"
Roots
& Shoots The mission of this program is "to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for the environment, animals and the human community. All Roots & Shoots members, from pre-K to university, demonstrate their care and concern for living things through service projects in their communities." For more information about how you can get involved, visit their web page, read up on what Roots & Shoots are doing in your area or how you can help start a local chapter yourself. There are also ideas for things that you can do all on your own. Don't forget to join their online mailing list so you can find out about upcoming events.
Volunteer Exchange Service of Santa Clara County Attention South Bay youth, register yourself for a community service position! Visit their site for online registration and information about upcoming events and about the Youth Service Team. This resource center hosts an alliance of over 200 organizations committed to strengthening the "Effectiveness, Sustainability, and Scale of the youth service movement." Y.S.A. promotes local solutions to community problems. Check this site for ideas about how to volunteer in your community and who to contact to get started or for more information. If you have an idea for giving service in your community, contact your local school officials. Write your idea down on paper and take it to the office. They will be very impressed. And better yet, they may just use your idea! Remember, you don't have to wait for April 14th and 15th to help out. You can start anytime.
There are many ways to help out in your community -- helping out in a classroom with children younger than yourself, visiting someone who's lonely or new to the neighborhood, helping pass out food or blankets to the homeless, helping care for stray animals -- just to name a few. Kids can also help with cleaning and beautifying parks, nature preserves, schools, churches -- and of course...homes! Some places to check to offer your help are: your local community center, the library, local churches, museums, and local schools. Also try, retirement homes for the elderly, shelters for battered/abused women and their children, the animal shelter, or local parks and wildlife refuges. All of these may have jobs that young people can help out with. Volunteer service is great for the community and great for you too -- a volunteer service job can give you knowledge and experience that will help you get a paying job later on, and the people or animals you help get something they need too. Plus, it just feels good to know you are making a difference in the world.
|
Giving Service
Taking a Stand Against
Taking A Spiritual
|
