Greater Community Village: Actions are more powerful than words when caring about kids
“Julie was looking for meaningful summer opportunities for her two middle school kids who felt they had outgrown summer camps and were too young for jobs. She was grateful to find opportunities at the Youth Volunteer Corp they were excited about doing. “
Discussion:
What does a city that shows it cares about kids look like, a place where kids feel valued? The county commission could take on a social marketing project sharing the 40 Developmental Assets message, like “Take the Time” in Portland. The local newspaper could dedicate a weekly column to spreading the word. Local businesses could get connected with schools and develop assets in a variety of ways from encouraging employees to volunteer in the school, to developing school-to-work programs, to hosting “Take Your Kid To Work Day” events. Any organizations that work with kids and families could have teen advisory boards, where kids tell adults what is REALLY going on and how adults can be helpful. There would be an advocacy organization, like Stand for Children that advocates for family-friendly legislation.
In this city, there would be a myriad of volunteer opportunities. Volunteering is one of the most powerful ways to empower your child. Just look at the many Developmental Assets you can build with this one activity:
- Learning the community values them
- Developing relationships with adults
- Developing a sense of purpose
- Allowing them to be valuable resources
- Service to others
- Bringing adult role models into their lives
- Positive peer influence—having friends who set good examples
- Developing a sense of caring, empathy, and sensitivity
A couple ways to help your kid have fun volunteering is to have them do it with a friend and pick an activity that is a good fit, like washing cats at the Humane Society if you are an animal lover. Talk to them about how they will gain skills and perhaps a letter of recommendation that will help them to get a better job than flipping burgers when they are older. Now is a good time to start checking out opportunities in your community. In Portland, we have Hands on Portland. Other communities have a Youth Volunteer Corp. What volunteer opportunities do you have going in your community?
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If I knew then what I know now,
I would have advocated for encouraging kids to volunteer through high school.
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What was your biggest take-away?
What action step do you plan to take?
What additional questions do you have about this topic?
Hi! I’m Dr. Kathy. Welcome to my website! Although Family Empowerment Network is formally closed, we want to keep these resources available to you. Our belief is that parents are the most wise and intuitive about what is best for their children. However, parents sometimes need the support of effective, timeless, compassionate parenting information and strategies. On this website you will find our three parenting books on boys, girls, and kids’ social lives and ten years of monthly newsletter articles. In addition, a powerful, under-recognized resource is the support of other parents. Here you will find how to use our books as discussion guides for monthly self-led parenting groups. One last resource: I am still available to give talks and workshops.
