For many parents, one of our top priorities when it comes to our kids by giving them a chance to study in a top school or university that would teach them the skills and knowledge necessary to work on their chosen field. However, we often forget that we also need to teach our children the right values, especially when it comes to the less fortunate.
Some people, especially kids, tend to shy away from volunteering because of the misconceptions about doing these activities.
So, how can you inspire your child to do it?
Why Volunteer?
When a person becomes a volunteer, they not only help those who need help and the causes that need to be supported, but they also help themselves.
Several studies have shown that volunteering offers a lot of health benefits, especially as they truly immerse themselves in the activity.
First of all, volunteering helps you relieve your stress and anxiety as you focus it to meaningful gestures such as helping others. If the volunteer work involves working with animals, playing with them can improve one’s mood and even make you happy.
Volunteering also helps counter the effects of depression because it will enable volunteers to reach out to others more easily. If one needs support, they can turn to their colleagues or mentors for support.
Volunteering is also good for the body because it enables a person to move more and do physical activity. Studies show that volunteering reduces the possibility of developing heart disease and high blood.
Aside from health benefits, volunteering is also a plus factor when it comes to one’s career. By doing volunteering, a person can gain experience in the areas they are interested in and meet new people. It is also a plus point in one’s resume!
How Does Volunteering Develop Character?
Aside from the health and career benefits of volunteering, volunteering also good for one’s character and it can be seen in different ways.
First of all, volunteering opens opportunities for shy people to practice their social skills since they are meeting new people regularly who share the same interest. As they continue to do their volunteer work, it will become easier for them to engage with other people and be confident as they do so.
Volunteering also helps in boosting one’s self-confidence. While helping those who are in need and supporting the passions you love, it gives you a sense of achievement that you have done something to help. It also helps you feel good!
Volunteering is also great if you wish to find a sense of purpose, especially if you lost someone in your life or you have no idea what to do. As you volunteer, you may discover which interests gives you a sense of fulfillment and give you something that will keep you busy and challenged.
Finally, volunteering also helps you challenge your limits and explore yourself along the way. It will inspire you to do well and work on improving on the areas you are weak in.
Volunteer Opportunities:
If you want to inspire your child to volunteer and help them discover the passions they wish to support, there are a lot of volunteer opportunities in Singapore to choose from.
To help you get started, here are some of the volunteer opportunities you can start your child with:
• Animal Causes
If your child loves animals, why not allow them to pursue volunteer work with groups supporting animal welfare and protection?
Animal rights groups and animal shelters call on volunteers to help them raise awareness about the rights of animals who have been abused or abandoned by their owners. They also hold events to support these animals through fundraising activities and open house visits. Some groups even allow volunteers to help take care of these animals or assist in the operations of the shelters.
Some animal causes you can look into for your kids are Oasis Second Chance Animal Shelter, Causes for Animals, Cat Welfare Society and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Singapore.
• Academic tutoring
For children who wish to help out younger kids with their school work or those who do not have the chance to go to school, you can sign them up for volunteer academic tutoring.
Volunteer tutoring programs vary depending on the organization your child will be connected with throughout its duration. Some volunteers may be assigned to tutoring in a certain school, do individual tutoring or assist in a class.
For kids who are proficient in certain subjects, they can be assigned to help out in that subject. For example, if your child is good with English, they may be included in the tutor roster for English tutoring. The volunteer organization would also help your child to tutor properly once they are assigned to a task. In terms of English tutoring, your child would be trained to write their own lesson plans and make lessons understandable for kids.
If this is your child’s passion, you can contact the Salvation Army for more details.
• Student projects
For kids who wish to volunteer for a long period of time but still have school work, you can check volunteer groups who are open to school volunteer projects.
Some volunteer groups, like the Salvation Army, have a list of volunteer opportunities which can be scheduled and organized for the students to do. The students will be given leeway on which activities they will do for the recipient groups and the organization will assist in ensuring the event takes place.
• Soup Kitchen
If you want your child to have a hands-on experience in helping the poor and the hungry, you can sign them up at the Soup Kitchen Project.
The volunteer groups organize feeding programs every Mondays for 220 hungry folks at the Jalan Besar- Lavender Street area. Your child can help cook, if they are well-versed with the kitchen, or help serve the food to the recipients. Aside from feeding programs, you can also donate items for the poor and help Soup Kitchen Project give it out to those who need it.
To contact Soup Kitchen Project, you can call their hotlines to sign up.
• Touch Community Service
If you want your child to become closer to the elderly and disadvantaged, you can let them join Touch Community Services.
Touch Community Services challenges their volunteers to explore their potential in assisting others and overcome their limits to help society. Aside from helping out the elderly and disadvantaged kids, they also do feeding programs where your child can help prepare food or serve it to the people.
• Trash Hero Clean Up Drives
If helping the community and the environment is your child’s passion, you can sign them up in Trash Hero’s regular beach cleaning drives.
When your child is signed up for this activity, they will be given gloves and garbage bags that they can use to clean the beachfront. As they clean, their guides will launch small lessons where they will teach kids why these trash items can affect the environment and how they can help to ensure this trash will never affect marine life and society as a whole.
To check their schedules, you can check Trash Hero’s website or their Facebook Page.
Remember
If you want your child to be a well-rounded citizen, you should not just focus on helping them get the best education possible. You must also ensure that they are able to connect with people, especially those who are less fortunate and support the passions they love.
By allowing them to volunteer or teaching them its importance, your child will not just feel good about themselves, they would also realize that they can make a difference even in their own way.
So, sign them up in these programs today and help your child discover how they can help!
For creative teaching outside the classroom, you may find these articles useful:
Singaporean Parents: Help your Child Learn English at Home
Activities for Kids during June & December Holidays
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