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When you read biographies of great leaders, many of them tell about how much they were shaped by experiences of serving others as a family. They were moved to compassion when they saw their parents show compassion. They were challenged to stand up for truth when their parents took stands for justice.
No matter the age of your child or children, volunteering together as a family is a great way to spend quality time together while also shaping your child's character. And it doesn't have to take a lot of time. There are hundreds of ways to volunteer together as a family, ranging from quick projects at home to taking family volunteer vacations. It all depends on what fits your family.
Facts from Search Institute
Youth who say their parents “spend lots of time helping others” are almost twice as likely themselves to serve others, according to Search Institute research. In addition, Independent Sector research found that 67 percent of adults who remember that their family volunteered when they were young now volunteer as adults. In contrast, only 42 percent of those adults who do not remember family volunteering volunteer now.
The asset advantage
The asset-building approach reminds families that a service project is more than just an activity you're “supposed to do.” With some planning and follow through, family volunteering can build many of the 40 Developmental Assets, including promoting family support and communication, empowering children, providing positive role models, cultivating positive values, and building children's identity and sense of purpose. Keeping the assets in mind can help you plan family volunteer activities that help your child grow up more caring and responsible.
Ideas you can use every day
Find service opportunities that fit your family
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Identify areas of interest — Talk in your family about the kinds of issues you'd like to help and the kinds of activities you'd like to do. Are you most concerned about low-income people, senior citizens, refugees, or homeless? Or is your family more passionate about caring for abandoned animals or caring for the environment?
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Try something once — Decide together the kinds of things you'd like to try one time, and start with that. Be sure to choose projects that allow every family member, regardless of age, to contribute in a meaningful way.
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Involved children — Actively involve children in choosing and planning service projects. Pay attention to what interests them and what they seem most concerned about, as those are areas where they're likely to invest more energy. Give them responsibilities that match their abilities and interests.
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Start close to home —Start looking for opportunities where you already have connections. For example, you may find appropriate family activities through a congregation (church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or other religious organization), workplace, or community or service organization.
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Ask others — If you have friends or family members who volunteer regularly, ask them if your family can join them sometime. Talk with other families about whether they'd like to do something together.
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Find local opportunities —Contact your local Volunteer Resource Center or similar clearinghouse to learn about available family volunteer opportunities. Visit www.1-800-volunteer.org or call 1-800-VOLUNTEER to find the local center and to learn about a wide range of local volunteer opportunities. Another resource is The Volunteer Family, which lists a database of family volunteer opportunities and events all over the United States.
Get started with simple, short projects
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Serve at home — Start with projects you can do at home. For example, make cookies to deliver to a homebound neighbor or a grandparent in the hospital. Assemble birthday bags to donate to a local food pantry. Make blankets for a crisis nursery. Create greeting cards for hospitalized children.
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Pick a day of service — Consider participating in a project on National Family Volunteer Day (the Saturday just before Thanksgiving each year), or one of the other Seasons of Service days throughout the year. Many communities sponsor special activities on these days, making an easy to get started and to meet other family volunteers.
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Join with what's already happening — Read newsletters from your school, faith community, workplace, or other networks. Often they include invitations to participate in one-time projects, such as a clean-up day or painting. They can be a great way to meet other families that are interested in volunteering.
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Tap local resources — Visit Family Cares or Doing Good Together for dozens more practical and creative ideas for service for families with all ages of children.
Make the most of service projects and activities
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Build relationships in your family — Yes, you're spending the day doing a project. But just as important is to use this day as a way to get to know each other in new ways. While you're working, talk about why you're doing what you're doing. Tell about other experiences you remember as you work.
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Switch roles — Sometimes you learn new things (and have a lot of fun) when you switch your everyday roles while you serve. If parents are used to being “in charge,” give responsibility for coordinating what your family does to a child or teenager. See what happens!
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Get to know the people you're serving — First learn their names, what interests them, and some of their story. Share your own experiences, too. You'll likely discover interests and experiences that you have in common. Invite them to participate in the service project if they aren't already.
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Get to know other families — The other families who are participating in National Family Volunteer Day likely share some of your family's values and priorities. Get to know them as new sources of support and encouragement in raising healthy, caring children and teenagers.
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Be sure everyone is contributing meaningfully — Check in with everyone in the family. Are they all finding ways they can participate fully? Or are some feeling as if they are stuck with trivial tasks? If it's the latter, think of creative ways they can participate more meaningfully. If necessary, talk to the event organizers to see if there are other more creative ways to accomplish the tas or other projects that need to be done that would fit better.
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Pay attention to safety and limits — Though it's important to stretch and try new things, it's just as important to stay safe and not push too hard. Monitor everyone in the family, taking breaks when you need to. Be sure that everyone in the family stays safe and is capable of taking on the assigned projects.
Reflect and learn from your experiences
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Talk about it — Take time to talk about your family volunteer experiences. Research shows that reflecting on service is key to ensuring that children and teenagers learn from the experience.
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Learn from the experience — Many people find that these three questions provide a helpful structure for reflecting on your family's volunteer activities in ways that promote growth and learning:
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What? What did you do together? Tell the funny, sad, frustrating, and touching stories about what happened.
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So what? Why was it important to do? How did it fit with the values and beliefs that are important to your family?
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Now what? What will you do in your family as a result of this volunteering? What kinds of activities do you want to do in the future?
Discover the joy of giving through bigger commitments
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Do something regularly — Make it a family project to work together to provide – and celebrate together – birthday meals for shut-ins.
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Serve on vacation — Spend a family vacation doing a service project in a different part of the country or world. Most families that take volunteer vacations find that they're more fun, meaningful, and educational than typical vacations.
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Bring the world to your home — Sponsor refugees or exchange students in your home. Intentionally learn about their culture and issues in their home country.
Ready-to-use tools (PDF)
More help
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Serving Others Together
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